Yvonne's Story
by Ojjacob
Summary: Yvonne is a Private Detective from Germany who has been hired to apprehend Fabian Soir, a Colombian drug smuggler. Yvonne has been trailing him throughout Europe and has learned that Soir is in New Jersey. Rangeman Inc., has been referred to assist with the capture and return to Germany. Yvonne will have to depend on Range man. Ranger & Stephanie are married.
1. Chapter 1

_**Yvonne's Story**_

 _ **-1-**_

 _This story is dedicated to Yvonne Mueller, she was the winner of a 500-word challenge, you will find it in FF titled,_ _ **'And the Winner is.'**_

… _ **..**_

 _A private detective from Germany has been trying to apprehend a womanizing drug smuggler from Colombia who travels the world. Fabian Soir is devilishly handsome and is on to the detective. Fabian Soir makes his way to New Jersey and Yvonne needs local cooperation and has been referred to Rangeman for assistance._

 _Will Yvonne get her man? There will be laughs and a romance._

 _Original characters Yvonne and Fabian belong to me, all others to JE. Story line and mistakes are all mine. Hope you like the story Yvonne._

… _ **..**_

After traveling on a long flight I was so ready to get off this plane, thankfully I was fortunate enough to book a direct flight from Germany to Newark. We would be landing in one hour and I needed to get my act together.

I looked over my case notes carefully making sure I didn't miss anything. The group I was to meet with is highly skilled in their field and I'm still new at this type of work. I was going to have to emphasize that this was my case and yet respect this man and his team.

My name is Yvonne Mueller and I'm a Private Detective. I work predominately in Germany and I was hired one year ago to track down a sneaky Colombian drug smuggler named Fabian Soir. I've been following this guy all over Germany, Italy and Switzerland and managed to find out that he is now headed for New Jersey.

He knows I'm after him but he always slips away. I was in Italy having lunch at an outdoor café when I spotted him. I didn't want to attract attention so I continued with my writing. In addition to my life as a detective I'm also a writer hoping to publish a book. I was busy writing a story-line for a new book while drinking my wine when I saw Fabian enter the café. He casually walked right past me tipping his hat at me. Smug jackass was all I could think, he even had the nerve to pay for my lunch.

I had been tipped off that he was making his move to the East Coast in the United States, New Jersey to be exact, so I needed to seek assistance from someone with connections. Some military personnel that I know referred me to a company called Rangeman Inc.; the owner is former military and very well connected. I knew I needed their help flushing out Fabian. After phone calls and email correspondence, we managed to schedule my trip.

It has been difficult to capture Soir because he is a womanizer in addition to his smuggling. He has a certain body type and look he is drawn to; his type of woman is one who is tall, with long legs, well built, sexy and very good looking. I am the opposite, I am tall but long legs, sexy, and very good looking, nope, that is not me. I'm attractive and have a tattoo so I'm not really a diva type woman.

I cannot apprehend or capture anyone legally in the U.S. that is the reason Rangeman is involved. They are able to legally apprehend Soir and assist me in returning him back to Germany. Interpol wants him and since Rangeman has ties to Interpol, they were the right choice for me to work with in this apprehension.

With Fabian being a womanizer, he is continually picking up socialites and rich daddy's little girl type whom he uses to help with his smuggling. The women have no idea that they are smuggling anything, which makes it difficult to capture him due to the lack of evidence linking him to the crime.

My meeting is with Ranger Manoso, the founder and CEO of Rangeman. In the meeting will be his wife, the Bombshell Bounty Hunter and his leadership team. I will have to hear the story behind that nickname for it must be an interesting story. I was not sure what to expect when I landed. I was told to look for a huge black man named Tank and a white girl with long curly hair. They would be picking me up from the airport in Newark and would drive me back to Trenton.

This is not my typical routine. I usually work on my own, but Rangeman was kind enough to offer to pick me up, house me, and provide a car and any of their staff at my disposal. I thought this arrangement was very generous, even though Rangeman will earn $950,000.00 U.S. dollars once Fabian has been captured and turned over to the authorities. Therefore, I guess they could afford to be accommodating. I do appreciate their assistance and hospitality however.

I reviewed all my notes and put everything away. I put my iPad and files in my bag just as they announced that we need to prepare for landing. I didn't know how long I'd be here in New Jersey so I had packed for at least one month. Upon landing and clearing customs I made my way to the baggage claim area with no incidents. I could see a huge black man standing next to a white woman, indeed the man was a Tank, and the woman was tall, with long hair and gorgeous, thinking she is exactly the type that Fabian lusts after, however she was missing a few of the other criteria, rich, socialite, daddy's little princess. The two walked over to me and asked if I was Yvonne Mueller. I told her I was and the woman introduced herself as Stephanie and then introduced me to Tank, we shook hands and I spotted my luggage. I tried to remove it off the carousel when Tank grabbed it first.

I struggled with him but he wouldn't let me carry it, Stephanie simply said, "don't bother arguing with him, you won't win, let him take it" and asked me to follow her. I followed her outside to where a black SUV was waiting at the curb. Yet another man stepped out of the driver's side and opened the door for both Stephanie and myself. This man was sexy, with a great body, I was very surprised at the treatment, but again they are receiving a substantial amount when this is over. We settled into the car while the driver and the Tank fellow loaded everything in the back. Tank sat in the front passenger seat and we quickly left Newark and were heading to Trenton.

"Yvonne, it's great to finally meet you. We've heard so much about you and this Fabian Soir character. You've already met Tank and Cal is driving. Did you have a good flight? Did you eat on the plane? Are you hungry? Would you like to stop and get something to eat?" This Stephanie woman asked one question after another so fast; I don't think she came up for air.

"It's nice to meet you also, thank you for your help, I really appreciate it. I've been after this guy for a year and that's too long in my book. But Fabian Soir is a sneaky, slippery man."

"I've done quite a bit of research on him and yes your right he is a sneaky guy, we'll get him don't worry about that." Stephanie replied with confidence. The rest of the drive was comfortable until Stephanie began asking me questions, which I answered. Stephanie went on, and on about New Jersey and how much she loves the ocean the variety of restaurants and asked what type of food I like to eat. This woman talked non-stop, Tank and Cal were the opposite of Stephanie, which was a relief. I was hoping the rest of the men along with Ranger, and his wife was as quiet as the two men in the front were.

We arrived at Rangeman, a seven-storied building made of what looked like indestructible brick and black glass windows. As we pulled into the underground garage, my eyes gravitated towards all the vehicles, Porsche's, trucks, and SUV's all black with dark tinted windows. It was quite impressive I have to admit.

Cal parked the truck telling me to go ahead with Stephanie and he would bring my luggage to my apartment. Stephanie took my hand; she seemed so happy and upbeat that I wondered "Is this woman on drugs?" Well I'm sure I won't have to deal with her much she's probably an assistant off sorts and handles all the administrative duties.

We walked into the elevator and she hit the fifth floor button. When the doors opened, Stephanie led me through to a row of cubicles and showed me to a desk I would be calling my office for the duration of my stay. She told me that I could put my things in the drawer. I managed to fit both my purse and my messenger bag in the bottom drawer and lock it up. I kept my case file and iPad with me to have for the meeting. We then headed to the cafeteria and Stephanie showed where I could find food and drinks and again asked if I was hungry.

"The team isn't quite ready yet so grab something to drink and eat if you like and we can wait here." She rambled on about how delicious the food is; I wondered how this woman keeps her figure with all the eating she must do is beyond me. We were sitting around a table and men came in one or two at a time, these men were gorgeous. I felt like I was in a male strip club, damn they were hot. They each had a pet name for Stephanie, one called her Beautiful, one called her Angel, one with tear drop tattoos called her Mi Angelita and one guy called her Wifey, he must be her husband since she is wearing wedding rings on her finger, they all kissed and hugged her.

This entire set up seems so strange to me, I am not sure of Stephanie's role here but I guess I will find out eventually. Our driver, Cal and Tank came into the cafeteria sitting down with us and we chatted for a little bit.

"Where's Ranger?" Stephanie asked Tank. "He'll be out shortly little girl." A few minutes later perfection walked into the room, oh my word, he was handsome, well built, sexy, and tall, and he had beautiful dark brown eyes and raven black hair tied in the back. He had a smile that could light up a dark room, he had a slight well-kept beard, and I couldn't help but stare at him. I felt like a little teenager googling over a guy.

"Babe," was all he said and then he kissed Stephanie and she kissed him back without any hesitation. Now I am thoroughly confused, so who was the man who called her Wifey?

Ranger took Stephanie by the hand and they walked away.

"All right I'm curious here, you all have pet names for Stephanie, one guy calls her Wifey, Ranger is married to someone that has the name Bombshell Bounty Hunter but yet they exchanged a deep passionate kiss right here in front of us." I had to ask. I know I've only been here a short time but I needed to know.

Tank laughed and the rest of the men just snickered and smiled, Tank replied with his deep authoritative voice. "Ms. Mueller, I can see how you're confused. Stephanie is our sister obviously not by birth but our sister none the less. Manny and Stephanie call each other 'Hubs and Wifey' because they worked together as a married couple on a case. Stephanie is the Bombshell Bounty Hunter and Ranger's wife."

"Oh I see, yes Tank you're right I was quite confused." I replied, stunned at what he just explained. Stephanie is married to that gorgeous man, wow that is a shocker. I wonder how they got together. Tank stood up, said "conference room" in five, and walked out.

Cal stood up a few minutes later, announced it was time for the meeting and led the way to the conference room. He grabbed a few bottles of water as did another man and I followed them into the conference room taking my files and iPad.

We all sat at the table, Ranger and Stephanie walked in hand in hand. Ranger sat at the head of the table, Tank to his right and Stephanie to his left, Stephanie distributed files to everyone. Ranger began the meeting.

"Ms. Mueller, sorry for the delay, things have been hectic today, I'll introduce everyone and their role in your case. I'm the CEO of Rangeman, Carlos Manoso for business purposes. On the street I am known as Ranger, Stephanie is my wife and the head of our Research Division. Tank is my second in charge, along with Lester, head of Operations and Bobby, our company Medic we make up the Core team. Continuing around the table we have Manny, Cal, Ram, Woody, Hal, and Hector who are members of the leadership team." Each of the men acknowledged with a nod of their head as they were being introduced.

"Now, with the information you have provided us via email, Stephanie has been busy researching your man and has put together a report of her findings, your information has been incorporated in the report, the pertinent information is highlighted. You'll find details from likes to dislikes, much of this is more than likely redundant to you but we needed to include your details for our knowledge because anything that adds to Mr. Soir's profile will enable the team to make this an easy capture."

"Mr. Manoso, Mrs. Manoso, thank you for…." I was interrupted by Ranger.

"Yvonne, there is no need to be formal, Ranger and Stephanie will do just fine. Even though Steph and I just celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary, we do not go by Mr. and Mrs. Manoso here in the office, Stephanie is Bomber or any of the names the guys have for her and as I said earlier, I am Ranger."

"What we have determined is that Soir is considered a player so we have decided that we will be using a distraction technique for his capture, of which Stephanie is very good. We will use Stephanie to flush him out with the men doing the actual apprehension. It will take planning but we will succeed."

Manoso was very authoritative and somewhat arrogant, but I was told he knows his business and has been extremely successful so I will have to just go along with this group. It will be difficult not to be running the show but I'm on their land.

"Ranger, I appreciate the assistance and all the work that has been put into the case thus far, I need to make you aware of a slight problem. I discovered Fabian Soir knows I am after him as well as what I look like. In Italy he even had the nerve to pay for my lunch. It appeared he was following me that particular day. So unfortunately I'll have to remain in the background" I replied.

"Well Yvonne that works out well because we would prefer to handle this on our own in the same manner as all our high profile cases, you are welcome to shadow the team when it is safe to do so, otherwise we would rather you be in the background." Tank stated matter of factly. When my contacts referred these men, they neglected to tell me about the arrogance they seem to sport.

"Yvonne, do you have all the pertinent documents such as the International arrest warrant, extradition paperwork and your contract indicating that you are the authorized agent as well as the legal document stating Rangeman Inc. is duly authorized to apprehend and arrest Soir?" Ranger asked with an intimidating tone and I was somewhat nervous. The smug Fabian Soir has definitely met his match with this team.

After the nerves had settled, I pulled out the legal documents that Ranger inquired about and handed them to him. He reviewed the paperwork and made notations on a legal pad. He slid the file over to Tank.

"Tank, there are a few items that are unclear, I've made notations, make sure that they are addressed and corrected accordingly." Ranger ordered very seriously, which had me curious as to what he found.

"Our lawyers will need to draw up the necessary documentation which will require notarization by both the German and U.S. Embassies, that will take about 2-3 business days. FBI and local law enforcement agencies throughout New Jersey require certified copies of the documents and are to be on hand with us at all times," added Tank.

"Yvonne, while the documentation is being taken care of, we will be devising our plan, we will meet in a couple of days to go over the details. In the meantime, if you want to spend a few days to relax you are welcome to do so." Lester said making me feel like I was in the way.

"Yvonne, you've had a long flight and I'm sure you're tired, there's nothing we can do today, plus we have apprehensions to take care of, you're welcome to go to your apartment to rest or to your desk it's up to you. I suggest getting some rest as we are all going out to dinner tonight, someone will come and get you at 6:30" Stephanie said in a kind tone.

I had to admit she was right. I am tired and hungry, there really is nothing we can do right now, so I decided to go rest, but I needed some food. "OK then I will get something to eat and head to my apartment until we leave for dinner. If someone could direct me to my apartment please," I stated.

"Hector, please take Yvonne to HR and get her an ID badge also set her up in the system. She is to have guest access, then when that's done, please show her to the guest apartment on four as well as the gym." Tank ordered.

As I was walking away with Hector, Stephanie mentioned that the restaurant where we were going for dinner is casual and relaxed, and then asked Cal to meet her in the garage in 15. Everyone left and I reluctantly followed Hector, this man is very harsh looking, though he's very loving and tender with Stephanie but I don't think I'd be seeing a tender hearted Hector. We finished up with HR I picked up something to eat and ran into Stephanie and Cal in the elevator as Hector was taking me to my room.

Stephanie was dressed in black complete with a gun holster and other apprehension tools. Her and Cal looked cute together both dressed in black, Cal with his well built sexy body and Stephanie in all of her girlie clumsiness. I shouldn't say that, she is a very attractive woman, great figure and mesmerizing blue eyes. I think Fabian has met his match. Whatever they have planned, he will lose himself over Stephanie. I can't wait to see that. I mentally made a note to myself to ask Stephanie if I might be allowed to observe their apprehension techniques while we wait for the paperwork to come through and before we actually go after Soir.

Hector and I got off the elevator on the 4th floor and I was expecting a decent size room in a rooming house type of setting, what I saw was an actual apartment all to myself. It had a separate bedroom with a decent bathroom in addition to a kitchen, living and dining room combination. Flowers were in both the rooms. There was a note on the kitchen counter saying there was food in the refrigerator, drinks, and all the necessities and Ella signed it with her extension number.

This is a nice place and I'm going to enjoy living here during my visit. It's a very comfortable apartment. I set the alarm on my phone so I would have time to take a shower later and get ready for dinner. I unpacked my luggage before I removed my travel clothes choosing to sleep in a t-shirt and underwear. Slipping into the bed, I was asleep in minutes.

 _ **...**_

 _ **A/N**_

 ** _Susan Peters; You are awesome, you really and truly get what I'm trying to put in writing. It's as if you can read my mind. Thank you so much for being my partner in this story._**

Well there is definitely more to follow.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Yvonne's Story**_

 _ **~2~**_

I do not know how long the alarm had been going off, being a little disoriented and unsure of my surroundings. I was lying in a bed that was not mine. It took me a few minutes to get my bearings together and realized I was in Trenton.

Primping and getting all made up is not really my thing. I am not as obsessed with my looks as some people might be, don't get me wrong, I make sure that I dress well and always maintain a good hygiene. Unlike some of the women out there, I don't spend hours on getting ready to go somewhere.

I finished in the shower, fixed my hair, and put on light make-up. I had already decided on jeans, sleeveless shirt with a long sleeve denim shirt. I was ready to go but still had some time so I watched a little bit of television until they came to get me.

There was a knock on the door a few minutes before the expected pick up time. When I opened the door I about gasped at the sight before me, Cal our driver standing there in black jeans and a dark gray button down shirt. I had delicious thoughts going on in my mind over what I would like to do to this man if given the opportunity.

"Good evening, Ms. Mueller, are you ready to go?" Cal said looking very delicious.

"I am ready" I replied as I took my bag off the side table. I shut and locked the door and followed him down the hall, hell I would follow him to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

"Cal, please call me Yvonne, I prefer that," I said, he just nodded his head and continued walking towards the elevator. It was an awkwardly quiet elevator ride. I felt somewhat uncomfortable, I was hoping that it was not an indication of the rest of the evening.

Cal opened the door for me; I climbed in the SUV sitting in between Manny and Cal. I said hello to everyone in the car. We drove to the restaurant in quiet. Do not get me wrong I like quiet but this is too much quiet, I was actually wishing that Stephanie was in the car with us.

"Who will be at dinner with us?" I asked to break the silence.

"It will be the team working this case with the addition of Zip and Vince," Manny answered. Oh yeah that broke the silence I thought to myself, I am really hoping that it's not like this throughout the evening and the duration of my stay.

We arrived at a place called Pino's and Hector who was the driver of our car parked alongside other black vehicles. We got out of the car making our way towards the door. We walked inside and were met with stares from a few people in the restaurant. I followed the men to a group of tables in the back corner where some of the team was already on hand. As we sat down, a waitress brought over pitchers of beer and soft drinks. She asked what I wanted to drink and I decided on beer knowing that American beer is not as tasty as German beer but it would have to do for now.

Just as I was about to ask where Ranger and Stephanie were, they walked in with Tank, Bobby and Lester. Stephanie stopped and said hello to several of the people in the restaurant, some of the men were in police uniform, some kissed her on the cheek, and some hugged her.

"It seems that Stephanie is popular with some of the police officers and other people, does she know everyone?" I asked just out of curiosity and I received a few glares, some straight faces, and some questionable looks from the men at the table.

"Stephanie grew up in this area and with a lot of the people here, she is a good person and most everyone is drawn to her, so yeah she knows a lot of people." Hal replied with an over protective tone in his voice.

"I didn't mean anything by my comment, I was just curious." I quickly replied to make sure that they all understood I was not being hurtful in what I said. No one really said anything, a few nodded but that was it. Ranger and Stephanie made their way to the table and sat down, joining the men with their backs to the wall.

"Hi Yvonne, did you manage to get any rest this afternoon? I'm sure you were tired from your long flight." Stephanie said with energy.

"Yes I did, goodness that apartment is comfortable. I think I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow," I answered. Suddenly Stephanie had an unpleasant look on her face and I had no idea why, I also noticed that the men also had the same look.

A very handsome man, tall with a great body came to our table and directed his conversation directly to Stephanie. "Hey Cupcake, how are you?"

"Joe, we've had this conversation many times, I am not your cupcake, so stop calling me that, I am Stephanie, got it?" Stephanie told this man harshly.

"Sorry, Steph, I've called you that for so long I just forget" was his reply.

"Morelli, what is it you need?" Ranger asked with a strong glare directed towards this Morelli fellow.

"Oh nothing Manoso just thought I'd stop by and say hi." I wasn't about to put my nose into something that was not any of my business so I sat quietly waiting for someone to elaborate but it was clear no one was going to shed any light on who this man was.

Morelli walked away and took a seat at the counter joining the men in uniform and Stephanie looked at me knowing I was a little curious. "Yvonne, he's a detective with Trenton PD, we've known each other since we were kids and we dated for a while." Then she changed the subject completely by talking about what everyone was going to order. I knew there was more to the story, but I also knew that at this point I didn't need to know.

Bobby introduced Vince and Zip saying that they were going to be a part of our team and I would be working with them closely. Which I guess means that my spending more time with Cal was not going to happen, too bad about that because I would like to get to know him a little bit better.

The menu was quite extensive, I didn't know what I really had a taste for, and not familiar with many of the items on the menu, I was lost. "Yvonne, what are you confused about, tell me what sounds good to you and I can help you out." Stephanie said, I guess she noticed my state of dilemma.

"I'm not sure what I want to eat, any suggestions on what's good?" I answered.

"Well one of my favorites is the meatball sub, the burgers are very good, and the pizza is delicious. The pasta entrees are good also." After some deliberation, I decided on a cheeseburger and steak fries.

The server brought over baskets of little garlic bread called garlic knots, they were tasty, and luckily, I was not planning to kiss anyone because all they would taste is the garlic. I noticed that Stephanie was forcing Ranger to take a couple of bites and as much as he didn't want any, the man was not going to say no to her.

Ranger is no doubt a man of great wealth, knowledge, and connections. He is known worldwide and from what I have learned is well respected, revered and feared. Yet this woman tells him to eat garlic knots and he does so without any argument, he does not have the slightest thought that his men would fear him any less seeing him give in to his wife.

Our food arrived at our table and those who had their food waited until everyone was served before starting to eat. This surprised me, big burly armed forces men who all have had some rough experiences displaying manners. Once all the food was served everyone started eating. I was into my third bite of my burger when I heard this moaning coming from across the table. I stopped in the midst of my bite looking around the table and no one was fazed by the noise

"What the fuck is that?" I said startled without thinking.

The men looked at me some of them gave me a cold look, some laughed and some just continued to eat their food. Stephanie was wide eyed as she was chewing her sub sandwich, Ranger had a smirk on his face, and Manny spoke up. "That Ms. Mueller is Stephanie expressing her enjoyment of the food, it has become a staple in our lives, without it, we know something is wrong or the food is bad" looking directly at me.

I laughed, though it was not a genuine laugh. I did it because Manny just put me in my place and I didn't want him to know that he had intimidated me. I do not understand why the men always are on the defensive side when I say something about Stephanie or direct something towards her. I am not intentionally being rude or trying to belittle her, I am just confused at some of the things she does.

We all finished eating and I tried to put the moaning out of my mind as best as I could, although I found it very irritating. The server came to our table and cleared away the plates. An older man with an apron joined us on, he went straight to Ranger and Tank shaking their hands, and then to Stephanie, he kissed her cheek.

"How are my best customers this evening?" The man asked with a heavy accent. Ranger replied saying everyone was doing very well. "Listen, I need your help, I have made a chocolate cheese cake and need some taste testers, can I bring it over so you can give me your opinion."

"Yes, yes, and yes Mr. Pino of course you can, we'd love to be your Guinea pigs," Stephanie answered with excitement. Mr. Pino kissed her on the head and went back to the kitchen, the server brought over carafes of coffee and plates while Mr. Pino brought over the cheesecake.

Most everyone took a piece with the exception of Ranger, Cal, and Hector. I took a few bites and it was delicious, then the moaning started again but these moans were lengthy. The cheesecake was orgasmic I have to admit. How can these men sit here, listen to all that noise, and not be aroused by it?

About 15 minutes later Mr. Pino returned to our table and stood next to Tank, "well my friends how many moans did the chocolate cheese cake receive?"

Lester answered laughing, "Tony, it received at least 3 or 4 lengthy moans, so put it on the menu."

Mr. Pino laughed walking away saying, "that's my girl she always knows what is going to be a hit."

Ranger, Stephanie, and the men all took out their phones at the same time, which led me to believe they all received a group alert of some sort. "Yvonne, we have to cut our time short, we are all needed back at the office, we have a high bond FTA that has been spotted and we need to get him" Ranger said with authority. We all got up as Ranger dropped cash on the table and we left.

The drive back to Rangeman was quiet; everyone was focused on the task ahead. On arrival at the building, some took the stairs and some of us took the elevator. I was about to push the button for the fourth floor when Stephanie stopped me and said that if I wanted I could join them in the conference room. I quickly agreed and followed them.

We all sat down at the conference table when a couple of men I had not seen before came to join us, saying that the FTA has been spotted at a local nightclub. They gave their report, saying that Brett, Junior and Ramon were inside the club, Zero was outside.

Apparently, the person is wanted for human trafficking, he considers himself a ladies man and is quick to pick up women who seem vulnerable. They all talked about ways to apprehend him, they were discussing the various distraction methods as they called it. Stephanie spoke up and said she had a better distraction.

"Look, we know he doesn't work alone so we have to be careful that we are all exactly where we need to be, so how about Hubs and I go in as a couple, Lester, Cal and Hal are guys on the prowl. Manny leaves to take a phone call." Stephanie said with confidence. "When Manny comes back to the table, he's upset when he sees that I'm flirting with the guys, they leave while Manny and I argue making sure the skip hears the argument. Manny walks out and I'm left alone sitting at the table, I'll make eye contact with the skip and we go from there." Ranger was a little apprehensive but Stephanie assured him it would be find and she would be ok.

"I am going upstairs to change for the club, give me about 45 minutes and I'll be ready," Stephanie reported to the table.

"Babe, you're going to be wired, I want the tracking jewelry on you and your gun in your bag. We will all be wearing ear pieces and have eyes on you at all times." Ranger said giving no one, any doubt that he was in charge and his word was final. Everyone got up from their seats and went on their way to prepare for their role in this thing they called a distraction. I sat in the chair not knowing what to do.

Tank came to where I was sitting, "Yvonne, you are welcome to join us with the distraction; it will give you an idea of one of the ways we take down a high bond skip. You'll have to stay in the shadows however to ensure your safety."

"Thank you Tank, I would like that very much. I would enjoy being inside seeing how things take place, would that be possible?" I replied.

"Yvonne, you will be on a date with one of the Trenton cops who will be undercover. Under no circumstances are you to acknowledge Stephanie or any of the men, you are to observe only, if you see something funny, you mention it quietly and we will hear you. 'Plum' is the code word for get the hell out of there now." Tank ordered then told me to go and change into something that was appropriate for a date in a nightclub.

"Go change, be back up here in 30 minutes," he ordered then he escorted me to the elevator and I pushed the button to my floor. I was looking forward to this distraction, glad that I don't have to sit inside a vehicle listening to what's going on.

I opened the door to my apartment quickly going to the closet to choose something to wear; I assumed I would need to be in dark colors so I didn't stand out too much. I chose a black pair of dressy satin pants with a dark purple long sleeved blouse. I refreshed my makeup adding more for evening and I put gel in my hair to style it little bit.

Time was up and it was time for me to go upstairs to meet everyone in the conference room. I walked out of the elevator on the fifth floor walking towards the conference room; all the men were sitting at the table. Ranger was at his spot at the head of the table, with Tank to his right, and the seat to his left was empty.

I didn't recognize a few men. I walked into the room and received a stare down by Ranger's men. I sat down, Ranger made a few comments about what was going to happen, and Tank took over the briefing process.

Tank introduced me to the Trenton cop named Eddie his nickname is Big Dog, we said hello to each other. Tank went on to repeat what I was not to do; I was to take Eddie's lead on everything. Apparently, Eddie was there to ensure that everything went down smoothly without any interruptions by local PD.

As he continued to go over the plans, there was silence in the room. Tank stopped talking, Ranger had a devilish grin on his face, and the men all stared towards the door. "Hi everyone, sorry I'm a little late" Stephanie said as she walked in the door.

I was in total shock at what I saw, what a transformation from 1 hour ago; I sat watching her with my mouth open as she walked towards her seat next to Ranger, who never took his eye off her for one second. She looked beautiful, stunning, and a little slutty but in an elegant way. How anyone can pull that off I have no idea. There is definitely more to Stephanie Manoso than meets the eye and all I could think was she is going to be perfect for Fabian Soir, he is going to fall hard over this woman, I can guarantee that.

Tank and Ranger asked if there were any questions, everyone was clear with their instructions and roles; the men all got up from their seats and made their way out of the conference room. Ranger was placing the wires on Stephanie, yeah I can see how he has that job none of the men would dare to take that responsibility.

"Yvonne, we are ready to go, you and I are driving alone," Eddie said and we followed everyone to the garage getting into a black pickup truck. We drove to the nightclub and Eddie was asking me questions about my reason for being in Trenton, not knowing what I was allowed to say, I simply answered that I am here on business and that Rangeman is helping me.

It dawned on me that Eddie was at the counter of the restaurant in uniform while we were there, so I asked him about Morelli. He gave me the history between Stephanie and Morelli. He went on to rave about what a wonderful person Stephanie is and that everyone adores her. He praised her all over the place I kind of thought that Eddie may have a crush on Stephanie. It seems that all the men have deep feelings for her.

We arrived at the club and parked in the lot. We walked to the entrance and went inside. Finding a small table I sat down noticing Woody was behind the bar, Eddie walked to the bar to order our drinks and brought them back to our table. Eddie leaned in close to me and whispered in my ear "these are watered down versions of drinks, enjoy."

I laughed because Eddie was trying to act all sexy. I had no idea who we were looking for I did not see the picture or the file, which was probably a good thing, this way I wouldn't be looking for him.

Lester, Hal, and Cal walked in and they looked smoking hot, I was not the only one who thought that, the women in the club were drooling staring at the three men. A few minutes later Manny and Stephanie walked in, men and women both were staring at the couple. They both looked sexy. I wasn't sure how they were going to pull off being a couple without kissing and touching each other like couples do so I couldn't wait to see them in action. I sat in my seat drinking my rum and coke, minus the rum and looked around the club as if I was people watching.

My eyes would gravitate towards Manny and Stephanie and damn if they didn't pull it off, Manny was nibbling behind her ear, which is what I saw even though I know full nothing was really happening. They danced for a little while and I have to say she is quite the dancer; her moves were a little provocative. The men wanted to dance with her while the women wanted to strangle her and no one kept their feelings hidden at all.

Stephanie and Manny finished dancing and walked back to their table; Manny took his phone and walked away. Lester, Hal and Cal went to the table and started talking, Lester was a little touchy feely with her while Hal walked to the bar getting drinks for everyone. Stephanie was doing a fantastic job flirting with Lester. Eddie would tap my hand and tell me I was staring too much, after about the 4th time I heard Tank in my ear telling me off saying if I continue staring I was out of there.

I watched a little bit then talked to Eddie about nothing of interest. He was too busy checking out some of the women, typical man. Manny walked back in and headed to the table while the three men walked away. Manny started in on Stephanie about her flirting with the men and one thing led to another and Manny walked out.

Suddenly, I heard, he's making his move and a man approached Stephanie asking if she was ok, he noticed she had been arguing with her date. She had me believing that this was all real. She is definitely damn good at this distraction thing.

He asked her to dance and she did, though she didn't dance in the same way she did with Manny but he was happy with himself that he was able to snag the hottest woman in the club. As I was watching the Rangeman men, all eyes were on Stephanie, they were not about to take their eyes off her. The skip had no clue since he was in lust over his prize. I watched as Stephanie whispered to him as they were dancing, the skip kept saying he wanted to take her back to his hotel after a few times saying no, she finally agreed playing the role of a drunk bimbo. They walked back to the table, finished up their drinks and the skip left money on the table.

"I'm ready to go, how about you handsome?" Stephanie said to the skip.

"Oh honey, I am ready and raring to go." The skip said leering at Stephanie.

Lester spoke saying they're making their move towards the door. Eddie took my hand and we started walking to the door. Stephanie and the skip were walking towards the parking lot when suddenly the guys grabbed the skip, Stephanie started acting scared and was screaming a little bit asking what's going on.

Ranger came over to her, "Miss everything is fine, please come back inside with me, he is being taken into custody."

Eddie joined the group with the skip and they all did what they needed to do, while I waited with a couple of the guys off to the side. Vince, Cal and Ram had the skip in their car and Vince asked if I wanted to accompany them to see what goes on next, I gladly accepted.

He explained that they have to take the skip to the police station to have him held and we were to collect a body receipt. The value of the bond was 5.5 million and Rangeman was going to be paid 20% I guess FBI pays a higher capture fee.

We finished up at the station and drove back to Rangeman for a debriefing. We took our seats in the conference room; everyone was praising Manny and Stephanie for doing a great job especially Stephanie. Lester was being a funny guy by saying that Manny was a little carried away. There were many funny things being said around the room and I guess it was how they de-compressed.

Ranger thanked everyone for a job well done saying there would be a bonus in their checks, he and Stephanie got up leaving the conference room. Lester started singing someone's gonna get lucky, Bobby smacked him on the head and everyone laughed at Lester being reprimanded.

"Well gentlemen, it has been a great learning experience tonight, thank you for allowing me to join you. I am going to get some sleep, have a good night." I said as I stood up and walked to the elevator heading to the apartment.

Suddenly, I was not that tired so I turned on the TV and started thinking about how smoothly the distraction went. I have to admit Stephanie surprised the hell out of me. I have been wondering how her and Ranger got together but nobody has really shared any of the story. They are all so over protective of her so I don't think they would share if I asked them.

My first thought of Stephanie was that she was more of a trophy wife and she has a job because she is married to the CEO, tonight proved me so wrong. When we were all at the meeting before the distraction, she came up with a plan and without hesitation; the entire team ran with it. When she came downstairs dressed up, there was not a man in the room that didn't have his eyes on her and not in a sexual way, but in a proud way. Ranger had that devilish look on his face and his was most definitely sexual and being proud of his wife was evident all over his face.

Stephanie has a great chemistry with Manny and I can see how they pull off being a married couple. When they walked into the club, every man had their eye on her, I've never seen anything like it, don't get me wrong she's very attractive but I don't think she's stop in your tracks gorgeous but who am I to make those type of statements.

I am glad I was able to observe the distraction because I will not be able to do so with Fabian since he knows what I look like. I hope I can shadow Stephanie and her partner tomorrow. In the meantime, I am going to sleep and have sweet dreams about Cal. He is incredibly sexy.

 _ **MORE TO COME**_

 **A/N: Yvonne, is lusting over Cal? Well I wonder if they will hook up.**  
 **To my awesome Susan Peters, yes you're all mine hahahahaaaa. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You...**


	3. Yvonne's Story Chapter 3

_**Yvonne's Story**_

 _ **~ Chapter 3 ~**_

 _ **xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**_

After a busy night, I was glad to be in a comfortable bed. I really didn't realize all that went into capturing a wanted person, or as they call it here at Rangeman, a skip. I can see why I've been having a difficult time catching Soir; I do not have the appropriate techniques.

I did not get the chance to speak with Stephanie last night about shadowing her today. I hope to catch up with her this morning to ask. It was early so I thought I would go to the gym and work out on the treadmill. I headed to the gym thinking I would be alone, that wasn't to be the case. Manny, Cal, Ram and Woody were there already using the equipment.

As I was running on the treadmill, Stephanie walked in looking like she was tired and that the gym was the last place on earth she wanted to be. She said good morning to everyone and stretched for a little while to warm up, when she was done, she stood in the middle of the mats.

"Hey, who wants to spar with me?" She asked speaking to everyone in the room.

"Give me a few minutes Bomber, I'll finish up my routine and spar with you" answered Woody. I could not wait to see this. How is she going to manage this I thought to myself, I mean there is a huge difference in build between Woody and Stephanie, this was going to be good.

Woody finished up with his routine and joined Stephanie on the mats; everyone else came around to watch. At first, they were just moving around without any action and suddenly Woody made his move, Stephanie dodged his leg, and they continued moving cautiously around each other. She dodged another kick from Woody and continued dancing around each other.

A few more minutes of cautiously moving around, like flash Stephanie kicked Woody's chest, I think he was actually surprised. I was bored at first but it is getting heated now.

"Ah, Bomber, that was good, didn't see it coming, don't get too cocky, I can still whoop your ass," Woody replied. Stephanie had a sneaky smile on her face, while bouncing in place as if she was Rocky Balboa.

"You think so Woody because I whooped yours pretty good the last time we sparred," she answered with confidence. "Oh I don't think Bomber I know; trust me on this no free passes today." Stephanie stood still with an angry look on her face.

"What the fuck Woody, have you been giving me leeway, being easy on me all this time that we've been sparring?" Stephanie was mad and everyone stood still.

"Bomber no, I swear I haven't been making it easy on you honestly, well you know when you spar with us we keep in mind your build and strength as well as being a female. I promise you that you have whooped my ass with your own merit." He tried to reassure her.

Woody sounded sincere as Stephanie stood with her hands on her hips considering what he just said and suddenly again, like a flash she turned and kicked his side and Woody was stunned at her sudden move. Then she lunged at him and started punching him, it was actually fun watching her get the best of Woody.

They continued for about forty-five minutes when Woody finally called a truce and Stephanie won the sparring session. Everyone in the room applauded and she and Woody shook hands and just as she did that, she made a quick turn and threw Woody over her shoulder and on to the floor on his back. She stood with one hand on her hip and her foot on Woody's chest as if she just claimed her kill.

The rest of the men in the gym were as shocked as Woody, they walked over to Stephanie and slapped her on the back congratulating her. You could tell she was proud of her conquest and she was grinning from ear to ear. The men were proud of her, it was apparent on their faces, while they were congratulating her, she put her hand out to help Woody up, and he graciously accepted her help and kissed her on the cheek as he hugged her.

"Bomber, that was a damn good move, congratulations on a great sparring session, I'm proud of you. You're becoming a force to reckon with sweetheart, I can't believe you got the best of me." He hugged her again and lifted her up in the air.

The door to the gym opened as Tank, Ranger, and Bobby walked in. Bobby ran over to Stephanie to check her out, "not a scratch on her boss, damn sweetheart that was fucking awesome, you not only whooped his ass, but you kicked it to the curb" great job.

Tank and Ranger walked to Stephanie, Tank had the look of a proud papa he hugged and kissed her, they all love this woman, and there is no one in the outside world that would doubt it.

Ranger came over to Stephanie, picked her up and simply said, "Babe," then raised her up in the air, turning her around. They were both looking at each other, she had a huge smile on her face, the love he has for his wife was written all over his face and he doesn't hide it either. He gently lowered her to the ground kissing her. He took her hand and they left the gym.

The men were all giving Woody a hard time and Tank roared with laughter as he slapped Woody on the back. "Man, I can't believe a little white girl from the Burg kicked your ass. Who's been working with her?" Tank asked the men.

"Damn, with those moves it's got to be Hector, I wonder what else he's been teaching her" Manny answered laughing at Woody, when Hector walked in the men confronted him. He gave them a glare with a slight intimidating smile on his face, that man is hard ass but when it comes to Stephanie, he's a mushy teddy bear.

"Well that was quite the show Stephanie put on for all you men," I said smiling. Suddenly Manny and Cal moved closer to me and Cal stood with his arms crossed at his chest clearly he was angry at my statement.

"Listen Ms. Mueller, since your arrival we've heard you make numerous remarks about Stephanie that tells me you don't take her seriously, and she gets what she wants because she's the boss's wife." He was glaring giving me a furious look, I did not know what to do or say, I was about to explain but he did not give me the chance.

"Let me tell you something about Stephanie, Ms. Mueller. She has not had an easy life, when we met her she felt she was nothing but a disappointment and failure to us and others in her life. Her mother was an evil bitch towards Steph, continually putting her down until a few of us paid Mrs. Plum a visit and set her straight about her daughter. Her mother now sees Stephanie for the beautiful, smart, strong woman she truly is."

Cal never took his eyes off mine as he was talking. I have to admit, I thought he was going to beat the shit out of me.

"For years her mother tried to push her into a marriage with that damn cop Morelli, who cheated on her and treated her like crap. Her first marriage was a bomb, after being married less than one year, she came home to find her husband banging a skank that Steph went to school with, catching them on the dining room table."

Manny took over the story telling now and he was just as angry as Cal. I know that they would not hurt me, but I was still a little worried nonetheless.

"Ms. Mueller, over the years we've seen that damn cop humiliate Steph in front of everyone yelling at her, telling her she's stupid and not good at her job, each and every time a car blew up that was no fault of hers. She has had her share of bad luck with her skips, gotten beat up, kidnapped, almost raped, thrown over a bridge and stalked by the craziest people you'll never in your life time come across."

I was listening as he was telling me all this about Stephanie and I was surprised, he was in protection mode as he continued.

"You and so many others think that she gets by on her looks and has no talent or skills. Well you are wrong. She has worked hard to get to where she is. Even Ranger was a dumb ass by hiding his feelings from her and strung her along for almost two years before he admitted how he felt about her. We all knew how they felt about each other, but they were clueless." Manny was staunchly in Steph's corner.

I was seeing a side to Stephanie that I had no idea existed and I admit that I too thought she got by on her looks. Then Hector gave me the stare of death and it was his turn, now I was getting scared I was truly afraid of this man.

"Listen, our Angelita is a kind and loving woman. When everyone in town treated us like murderers and thugs, she did not. Estefania loved us for who we were and not what everyone else thinks we are. She helped the boss clear his name when he was accused of murder by becoming friends with the mob who set him up. She helped save his business twice and set herself up as a target to help save his daughter."

Hector finally stopped, gave me a look, and walked away leaving the gym. It was obvious he was mad. Tank moved towards me but he did not seem as angry as the rest of the men.

"Ms. Mueller, we could go on and on about Steph, but I think you get the picture. We will go to great lengths to keep her safe. She has earned the right to whip Woody's ass because she has been training and working out. I told you before, she's our sister, the love we have for her is greater than anyone can imagine."

Tank was speaking softly but seriously making it very clear he was upset. I listened to what he was saying as he continued.

"We understand being from another country you may see Stephanie as a pampered, spoiled girl who gets what she wants by flirting and shaking her ass. The Stephanie you saw last night was playing a role that has to put up with sleazy men touching her and grinding their bodies against hers. She takes on that role to help us get another sicko off the streets. You don't know what that does to her, we've all been there for her when Ranger was on missions, we've helped her decompress and it wasn't pretty."

I was stunned at what I heard, there is definitely so much more to Stephanie Manoso than I realized and will probably never have the opportunity to see. The men standing here in front of me were giving me a glimpse into the life that she has had. I felt it was now my turn to explain my comments and actions.

"I'm sorry if you misunderstood my comments. You are all correct, I did have misconceptions about Stephanie, that she gets by on her looks, and she has a job because her husband is the boss. But I didn't mean to be hurtful or sound hateful towards her that was not my intention."

The men continued looking at me waiting for me to explain further because apparently they were not satisfied with what I was saying.

"I like Stephanie, I do, and I feel bad that my comments made it sound like I disliked her or thought she wasn't an important part of this team. I have seen how smart and strong she is. She impresses the hell out of me. I've hurt you all by making those remarks about someone who is very special to all of you."

They all relaxed I guess they were waiting for me to say that I liked her, feeling much better because I did not want to go through the duration of this trip with this hanging over us.

"Can we all be friends and chalk this up to misunderstandings by two countries and start fresh?" I asked putting my hand out so we could all shake hands. We shook hands and Tank said come on men, there is work to be done.

"Ms. Mueller, we have our regularly scheduled staff meeting shortly and at 10.00am we are having a team meeting about the Soir case. Breakfast is available in the break room please help yourself once you are ready. You will be riding with Stephanie and Cal today, Ella has a uniform, which you will find in your apartment. All this stays here in this gym, do I make myself clear?" Tank explained.

Tank looked at all of us, the men all answered, "Yes sir" while Tank waited for my reply. "Yes sir, understood," I answered.

I went to my apartment and straight to the bedroom, I was still somewhat shaken up from the stories and wanted to lie down for a little while. I was angry at the assumption the men had about me and I guess they felt the same way. Europeans think that Americans are arrogant and rude, while the Americans think the same way of the Europeans.

Not knowing where this all came from, I guess I can see how I was acting and the men realized they too were assuming I was arrogant and rude. I think we both came across like that unintentionally and their little talk opened up our eyes and we all came to the same conclusion that neither one of us are arrogant or rude. I am glad that is all out of the way and we had the opportunity to clear the air. I appreciated Tank saying to leave the discussion in the gym. I believe that if Ranger felt the same way as the rest of the men regarding my attitude towards Stephanie, I would be on the next plane back to Germany without Fabian Soir. He would have my ass at the airport so fast; I would not know what hit me. He is definitely not a person I want to tangle with, but then again none of these men are, hell I would not want to tangle with Stephanie after I saw how she kicked that fine ass of Woody's, and yes he did have a mighty fine ass.

I made coffee and took a shower, fixed myself up a bit and put on my uniform, black cargo pants, gray Rangeman polo shirt. I was surprised at how well it fit, Miss Ella has a good eye for details, I felt odd wearing this uniform, but I was not given a choice. I headed out the door with my coffee to the fifth floor walking to the break room for breakfast. A few of the guys from the other night were in the break room, after making my selection I started walking to one of the tables when Vince asked me to join them. I was surprised at their actions but after what happened in the gym, there is no way, I am going to question it. We finished our breakfast and Cal came to the break room, "team meeting in 5" he walked back to the conference room. Zip stood announcing it was time for the meeting, Zip, Vince and I walked into the conference room taking our seats.

The core team already seated towards the head of the table with Ranger in the middle, Tank to his right and Stephanie to his left. Tank started the meeting informing us that Stephanie had gathered additional information on Soir and he directed Stephanie to take the lead.

I could tell she felt uncomfortable but after a few minutes, she became confident as she took the lead.

"Well it turns out Mr. Soir has put a deposit for a condo in a 12 story high rise along the shore in Long Branch. This is an ultra-luxury building, he is planning on being there for a while, and he told the building managers that he will be paying upfront for at least 1 year."

"It seems he has also purchased a restaurant / bar on the shore line near the other restaurants and bars. He purchased it from the owners who are ready to retire, he has registered the name as Thunder, the permits and licensing are under that name, not his own name. Apparently, he has set up Thunder as a corporation."

I had no clue as to what any this information meant, but it seemed that it was important. I needed to ask for further information.

"Stephanie, not knowing the business laws here, I am curious as to why Thunder being set up as a corporation is a concern." I asked.

"Yvonne, it makes it difficult to attach him to anything, my guess is he will use the bar of the restaurant as his distribution point and if that's the case it will be difficult to gather evidence but no worries, we're good at this sort of thing." Stephanie answered with confidence. "I also found out there happens to be a unit available on the same floor as Soir's condominium as a matter of fact directly across the hall and I have put the unit on hold as a rental for a few months. I will go in as a wealthy soon to be divorced woman who is renting a place for a few months to get away from it all until the divorce is final."

The men were listening to her report and had looks of amusement; she looked around the room and stared back at them all she said was "WHAT?" They smiled at her but she just kept looking at them then at Ranger.

"Beautiful, you are amazing at finding things out. Your search techniques are stellar," said Lester.

"Wifey, you're damn good at this information gathering, you can teach the government agencies a few things." Manny added.

Stephanie told us that she had more information that would make flushing him out even better.

"What else do you have Babe?" Ranger asked knowing she was not finished yet.

"Well he is due to move into his unit in 7-10 days, I will need a few days to move in. Two weeks after he moves in, there is a concert at the outdoor arena with various bands and guess which band is on the list to perform that night?" She continued with her findings.

I was not sure how the concert played into this plan, so I waited for them to continue, they all answered.

"Our friends RED" they all had similar looks on their faces, the look of understanding, they knew exactly where she was going with this.

"Got it in one guys," she replied and I still had no idea what was going on. Cal looked at me I guess he saw the confusion on my face.

"Yvonne, we did security for the band Red a few years ago and we have become friends with the members, they are originally from Philadelphia but live in Nashville. When they are in their home town or perform in locations close to us, we always go and see them and when they are here in New Jersey, it's a given." Cal explained to me.

I was even more confused after that explanation, still not knowing what it had to do with Soir.

"Well when we did the security, the guys in the band thought it would be fun to have Steph join them on stage and sing some back up and vocals with them. The crowd liked it as did the band so when they are performing nearby; they ask her to join them on stage."

Cal looked at me as if to ask, don't you get it yet woman. Manny decided he would try to explain.

"Yvonne, my guess is that Steph will somehow attract his attention while she is on stage with the band, am I correct Wifey?" Manny explained.

"Yes hubs you are correct, I will have made his acquaintance prior to the concert, and I will invite him to the concert. Lester, Manny, and Cal will be guys who I meet on the beach and we hang out at Thunder, so I can become very visible to him."

"I will also need Hal and Ram as other guys I meet and date; I want this guy to see me all over the place. That is all I have for now but I would like us to have everything in place within seven days. Yvonne, I have a friend Sally Sweet who is a cross dressing entertainer, I am going to have him make up a disguise for you so that you can hang out with the guys and not have to sit in a car the entire time. Soir will not recognize you at all."

Ranger took the lead now and asked if there were any questions, there were a few, and we went over a few more minor details but for the most part Stephanie had explained her plans pretty well.

"OK we have a few days, Santos, you and Manny get a car for Steph, get her a top of the line Mercedes, I want it fully loaded with every imaginable safety equipment, take Hector with you he will know the best car for her. What color car Babe?"

I was very impressed at the expense Ranger was putting into this case, I know he's making a large amount but after all the expenses, is it even worth his time, I thought to myself.

"I want red." Stephanie answered quickly. "OK red it is Babe." Ranger stood up, taking Stephanie by the hand and they walked out of the room together. Cal walked to where I was sitting saying I was with Stephanie and him and that we would be leaving in 15 minutes. He showed me the files of the skips we were going after.

When I read the reports that Stephanie had generated, I saw that she had highlighted various information with her notes and ideas written. She was very organized and detailed in her reports; I was impressed with the files. Cal and I went through the files together and we were ready to leave, as we walked out the conference room, I saw Ranger and Stephanie standing outside his office; he was getting dressed as he put it, and I assumed he was talking about a business suit or something.

They kissed each other goodbye and as she was walking towards us, Ranger said "don't do anything-crazy Babe," and she turned looking at him saying "don't get shot" and waved goodbye. Ranger shouted, "Make sure she's dressed at all times Cal, she's your responsibility." Cal looked at Stephanie, "Yes boss" and we went to the garage.

Cal opened the doors for Stephanie and I, then got behind the wheel. Stephanie stated that we were going to the bonds office first to pick up Rangeman files and then go after our skips. I was curious about the being dressed statement.

"Can you explain what Ranger meant when he said about making sure you were dressed at all times Stephanie?" she turned to face me and smiled. "Oh that, it means we are carrying our weapons, I've been known to keep my gun in my bag at inopportune times" she replied innocently.

"Stephanie, I have to say I was quite impressed this morning in the gym when you kicked Woody's ass," I told her with complete honesty.

"Oh thanks, believe me it's taken a lot of work, all the men have had their share in my training. Cal has been my firearms instructor and Hector has been teaching me the boxing techniques that I used on Woody. The men have been patient putting up with me."

We stopped off at a bakery shop and Stephanie got out and walked into the shop. "What are we doing, is she going to eat again?" I asked Cal and he glared at me.

"Yvonne, what did we all discuss this morning? Didn't you get any of it?" he said curtly.

"I understood very well Cal, are all of you guys going to have a stick up your asses every time I ask a question about Stephanie, good grief I asked a question." I replied feeling a little hostile.

"Yvonne, all you had to ask was why we were here, not make a comment about her eating, this is why we get pissed you make these digs and it's usually towards Stephanie." Cal answered in a cold tone.

"I didn't mean anything by it, just asking a simple question." I added with an attitude.

"Well Yvonne, you don't know Steph well enough to make little side comments like is she going to eat again, hell we don't even do that."

Cal finished what he was saying as soon as Stephanie walked out the door. "Thanks Cal, Yvonne, it's a daily ritual to pick up a dozen donuts to take with us to the bonds office for the girls." Cal gave me a look in the rear view mirror clearly telling me that I made an unjustified assumption.

We arrived at the building they called the bonds office just as Stephanie finished telling me about the details of the business. We got out of the car and I followed them into the office. A large, I mean a very large black woman greeted us, she was wearing clothes that were at least three sizes too small, and I was being generous, her hair was a bright purple color. I did not know what to make of this woman.

"Skinny white girl, you brought us goodies and who's this hanging around with you?" Stephanie looked at me and gave me a look that I did not quite recognize.

"This is Elizabeth; she's here on Rangeman business from out of state, Elizabeth, meet Lula, and Connie." I said hello and Lula stared at me.

"What kinda accent you got there Elzbet, where is you from?" Lula asked.

"Ah Lula, the name is Elizabeth not Elzbet" I answered.

"Well lah dee dah, Elizabeth." She replied with hand on her hip. attitude and a glare.

"Lula, lighten up, don't be rude." Stephanie interjected with authority. Lula took the box of donuts and put them on Connie's desk opening it up and taking two donuts for herself as she made herself comfortable on the couch.

"How is everything Steph, anything new and exciting going on?" Connie asked drinking her coffee and taking a donut.

"Everything is great, busy at work, still madly in love with Ranger and loving being married." She answered.

"Who wouldn't be happy being married when you sleep with Batman every night," Lula responded and Connie threw a rubber ball at her.

"Do you have files for us Connie?" Cal asked as he walked to her desk.

"Here you go handsome, there are three large FTA's that need to be captured a.s.a.p. Vinnie is having heart palpitations over them." Cal took the files and walked towards the door, Stephanie and I followed his lead.

"Hey, skinny white girl, you ain't gonna sit your ass down and talk to us, what's up with that?" Lula asked Stephanie. "Sorry, but we have a busy work load today. We're working on a case that's going to keep me pretty busy the next several weeks so I'll try to plan a night in the next few days for us to go out OK?"

"OK Steph, we miss you." Connie answered as she took a bite of her donut and sipped her coffee. Cal held the door open for us and we got back in the car.

I wasn't about to start up a conversation involving Lula because I know it would be misinterpreted, so I just sat back waiting for Cal and Stephanie to start a conversation.

"Bomber who's first on the list?" Stephanie opened up her file and started reading. "Malcom Washington armed robbery, known to hang out at Sonny's Diner. Let's go to Sonny's and see if he's there.

We drove to an ugly area of town, buildings with boarded up windows, some buildings had bars across the windows. We parked in a lot across the street, Cal and Stephanie pulled out binoculars and they both looked at the pictures in the file. A few minutes later Stephanie said, she spotted the man inside.

Stephanie handed me the file, telling me to look at the picture and be on the lookout for him outside the restaurant. About twenty minutes later Washington came out of the diner and started walking. Cal left the parking lot and followed. We followed until we came to a residential area, we saw the man walk into a one-story house, which was not in the best condition.

We continued driving then turned around and parked across the street from the house and waited for about 15 minutes. Stephanie turned around to look at me, "stay here and don't come out under any circumstances, we'll leave the keys if anything happens press this button it will call control and alert everyone we're in trouble, the address is on the file." I nodded in agreement and they walked towards the house.

Cal walked around the house looking in windows and signaled to Stephanie as he walked around to the back of the house, she acknowledged Cal's signal and knocked on the door, after a few minutes, the guy opened the door I heard Stephanie talking to him, and he laughed at her. It looked as if he wasn't going to cooperate and took a few steps backwards and began to slam the door in her face but she stopped him by kicking him in the stomach, knocking him backwards with him landing on the floor.

I saw him get up and grab Stephanie's leg as she fell to the ground; she pulled her gun out pointing it at him. She was shouting at him saying she would shoot the crap out of him if he did not cooperate. He released her leg, stood up and started running towards the back door. Stephanie lunged at him knocking him down flat on his face as Cal broke the back door. Stephanie had the guy handcuffed; he was a big man so Cal finished the job by picking him up and dragging him to the car.

Stephanie finished shutting the doors and walked back to the car while Cal shoved the skip in the third row, then put his feet in ankle restraints and his hands above his head and locked the handcuffs in restraints. Stephanie was entering information in her iPad her fingers moving quickly on the keyboard, Cal told her the steps that he took and she finished up and closed her iPad.

"OK partner, let's go." She instructed, "sure thing Bomber" and we drove to the police station to turn in the skip and collect a body receipt. I remember that from the night of the distraction. We arrived at the station through a back entrance and Cal spoke into the speaker announcing who we were.

We all got out as two officers met us in the prisoner intake area. Cal unlocked the restraints on Washington, removed the handcuffs, and turned him over to the police officers. Walking to the desk Sargent showing him the authorization to apprehend paperwork, the officer made a copy and issued the body receipt handing it back to Cal.

"Hey Steph, how are you? Stephanie turned around and walked over to the officer who hugged her and gave her a kiss.

"I'm great Eddie, how is the family, is Shirley taking good care of you?" She asked him.

"Yeah, yeah, she takes great care of me and the kids are great. She was saying the other night that we should have you and Ranger over for dinner. Hey Steph, who do you have with you, a new employee?"

"Oh I'm sorry Eddie, this is Elizabeth Schultz, she is here on Rangeman business, Elizabeth this is Eddie Gazzara. Eddie is my cousin by marriage; his wife is my cousin Shirley." I said hello and shook his hand.

"Good to meet you Elizabeth, I have to go. I'll see you all later, say hi to Ranger and the gang for me" Eddie said as he walked out the door.

Stephanie took the paperwork from Cal signed her portion of the documents and walked back to the Sargent who stamped several pages and gave her copies and we all left. Cal went to the trunk of the truck pulled out a bottle and started spraying inside the car, "Gotta get rid of the nasty stench the skip left behind," Stephanie laughed and we got in the car and drove away from the station, the clock showed 12:40 "hey guys, can we stop off for lunch?" I asked and they both said sure thing.

As we were driving, Cal asked if Pino's was all right, Stephanie and I both said yes. A few minutes later, we arrived and parked in the lot. We walked in to a repeat of the last time we were here, people staring at us, well I should say at Stephanie. It seems these people are scrutinizing her; she greeted people and came to a stop when the cop Morelli stood in front of her.

"Hi cupcake, are you out chasing crazies today?" he had an unfriendly look on his face.

Stephanie got closer to him as if there was going to be a standoff, she straightened herself and stood firm. "Joe, this is the last time I'm going to tell you to stop calling me cupcake. I'm married and have been for five years now, can't you just move on?" Stephanie pretty much growled at him, which surprised the hell out of me because I have not heard her use that tone.

"Sorry Steph, I didn't mean anything by that, I've called you cupcake for so long it's going to take me time to get used to calling you by your real name." He replied sheepishly.

"Well Joe you've had five years to get used to it so start now, GOT IT?" she shouted in his ear and walked away with Cal right behind her.

Cal takes his role as Stephanie's partner as well as his responsibility for her safety damn seriously. He was not more than 2 feet away while she was talking to Morelli. I am beginning to appreciate the love that this group has for each other. They are family more than co-workers.

As we sat down at our table, Cal and Stephanie sat facing the door, "hey why do you guys always sit facing the door at restaurants?" I asked with curiosity.

Cal answered my question, "we always have to be aware of our surroundings it allows us to see if anything is about to take place."

"Stephanie, why do you introduce me as Elizabeth Schultz?" I asked because it was strange.

She looked at me with concern, "Yvonne, I am sorry I forgot to tell you in advance. I don't want anyone to know your real name because of the Soir case, news travels fast around here so I thought it best to give you a different name." I laughed and asked how she came up with the name Elizabeth Schultz.

"Elizabeth is your middle name and your moms' maiden name is Schultz, I chose that name because it would be familiar to you and it is recognizable." I smiled at her saying good thinking.

We ordered our food and continued talking while we waited. I ordered the meatball sub, and it was delicious. The moaning surfaced but I was prepared since I know it's a Stephanie trademark. It is still annoying but I find it a little funny. We finished eating our food, Stephanie said she needed to use the restroom and off she went.

"So Yvonne, obviously Steph ran a search on you, while I was reading your file I noticed you play chess on line under the name of 'wipitgirl' you are a damn good chess player." I was shocked when Cal made that remark, I had no clue they would search that deep.

"Yes, it's a great way to relax and I love the challenge, do you play?" I asked him.

"Yes I do we've played against each other before, my chess name is badnite1." I was very surprised we have played together many times and he whoops my ass.

"We should play a real game sometime while I'm here," Stephanie returned and we walked to the door.

The rest of the day went without incident and we made our way back to the office, it was 7:30pm, a long day with only a lunch break and I was tired. We got out of the car and took the elevator to the fifth floor. Stephanie walked over to Tanks office, she said hello and put the FTA files in his tray on the desk. She checked her calendar on the phone and mumbled something to herself.

We were about to walk to the break room when I saw the sexiest man to walk this earth, Ranger in a black suit. He is absolutely the most gorgeous man I have ever seen in my life. As he came walking down the hallway his face lit up like a Christmas tree the minute he saw Stephanie, she had the same look on her face.

I could not help but stare at them walking towards each other; it was as if they had been away from one another for weeks not hours. Stephanie said hello to her sexy Cuban, he responded with Babe, and they kissed deeply and passionately. As I was watching, I have to admit there was a little envy on my part over the love they have. It is something that I long for and wonder if I will have a relationship like theirs. Clearly they have a deep love for each other, there is no denying that. God help the person who tries to come in between their relationship.

Not knowing what to do, I told Stephanie and Ranger that I was going to my apartment because I was tired. "Yvonne, sorry I didn't get the chance to make plans for the evening, it was such a hectic day."

"Oh Stephanie, no worries I'm going to hang out in the apartment and relax, it's been a busy day." I replied.

"Yvonne, Ella sets up a buffet dinner for the staff in the break room please feel free to join in and eat. If you prefer to eat in your apartment, you can take your food downstairs or if you decide you want to order out, you'll find a folder in the kitchen of your apartment with menus from several restaurants, if you order tell them to add the charges to Rangeman account." Stephanie said sweetly, I thanked her and walked towards the elevator and made my way downstairs, I was actually looking forward to a quiet relaxing evening playing chess.

I was not sure what I was going to do for dinner, all I wanted to do was shower, put on something comfortable and relax. I showered and wrapped myself up in the luxurious thick bathrobe that was hanging on the door.

There was a knock on the door; I was not expecting anyone so I was surprised to see Cal when I answered the door.

 _ **xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**_

 _ **A/N:**_ _Yeah, a long chapter but it's been a while since I last posted so this is really a combination of two chapters. I hope you enjoy it._

 _Could there be something romantically brewing between Cal and Ms. Mueller or is he still on a rant?_

 _There is more to come._

 _ **To my awesome creative side of my brain, Susan Peters, you are absolutely the best, thank you so much.**_

 _~ The main characters do not belong_

 _to me but JE; I get to play with them. Original characters are all mine as well as the story line. I am not making money on this story.~_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Yvonne's Story**_

 _ **Chapter 4**_

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I didn't know what to think when I saw Cal standing outside my door. I was unsure as to what he wanted.

"Oh sorry Yvonne, am I interrupting you? I can come back later or catch up with you tomorrow." Cal uttered.

"Cal, it's alright, I just finished taking a shower. Please come in it will only take me a few minutes to change." I told him desperately not wanting him to leave. He walked in to my apartment as I stepped into the bedroom. I told him I would be out shortly. Quickly I put on jeans and a T- shirt. I ran some gel in my hair to tame it and walked back to the living room to an awaiting gorgeous man.

"So what can I do for you?" I tried not to sound too short but I was curious about his visit.

"Nothing Yvonne, I came over to see if you wanted to go grab a bite somewhere" he replied.

"I was thinking about ordering something and have it delivered. Would you like to join me?" I asked hoping he would say yes.

"Yeah, that sounds good, anything in particular you have a taste for?" He asked.

"No, I didn't get a chance to look at a menu yet."

"Let me order then, I just need to go back to my apartment and grab something. I'll be right back." He ordered the food and left for his apartment. A few minutes later, there was a quick tap on the door and Cal walked back inside. He put a six-pack of beer in the refrigerator and opened up a box with a travel chess set on the table.

I laughed nervously when he finished setting up the chess set. It is one thing to play on line but I am not sure how to manage playing live, he can be intimidating. I grabbed a couple of bottles of beer out of the refrigerator and we sat on the couch waiting for the food.

"Yvonne, I hope you don't mind the surprise visit." He asked hesitantly.

"Cal, it is fine, really there's nothing to worry about. Actually I'm glad you did stop by." I tried to reassure him.

"Look I know that we were all pretty hard on you this morning in the gym but we're very over protective where Stephanie is concerned and your comments were getting us all a little riled up. She means the world to us. Especially to me because we are partners as well as close friends." He attempted to explain their side of things to me.

"Well Cal, it's all behind us. I think we all understand each other better now and I see Stephanie in a different light." I said with sincerity.

"Good, so let's start something wild and challenging" Cal said as he raised his eyebrows, which I thought was sexy as hell on him. I wanted to push him on the couch and have my way with him. Wow did my thoughts run away from me, whew I think I need another shower.

"I thought we were going to play chess?" I asked and he grinned.

Just as we were about to start the game, his phone buzzed indicating he had a text, it was from the control room saying the food was here. He got up and walked out. A few minutes later, he was back with a huge brown bag.

"This entire bag of food is for the two of us? Good grief what the hell did you order?" I was surprised at the size of the bag.

"Chill woman, I ordered Chinese food; everyone knows you have to order tons of it because you get hungry a half hour later." He took the bag to the counter and set up all the boxes naming the dishes he ordered. I was going to tell him to stop but I liked hearing the sound of his voice.

I took plates out of the cabinet and utensils and we filled our plates. I have to admit the food was delicious. I could not help it, but I had some of everything. We finished eating our dinner and I started to put the dishes in the sink.

"Hey Yvonne, don't bother putting away the leftovers. I guarantee you'll be hungry soon. Come on the pieces aren't going to move by themselves." The handsome smart-ass man ordered. I complied and made my way to the chair that was opposite the chess set.

We started a game that turned out to be an intense tournament style game rather than a casual game between friends. After a few beers and almost three hours, I had to take a break it was past midnight and I started slowing down a bit.

"Hey 'wipitgirl', don't tell me you're giving up?" Cal said laughing.

"No I am not smart mouth. I am getting a little tired so how about we continue this game another day?" I said between yawns. Cal took the chess set, put it on the side table, came back and sat down on the couch. It was a little too quiet so I thought I would make conversation. I was tired but only of playing chess.

"So how did Stephanie and Ranger meet? Or is that question off limits?" I asked looking at him to try to read his reaction.

"You are free to ask all the questions you want about Ranger and Bomber, but it won't be me answering them. Anything to do with their personal life will have to be directed to them, not me, or anyone else." Cal explained.

"Cal is their personal life top secret? They can know my business but I can't ask about theirs." I started to get a little peeved.

"See there you go making stupid assumptions. Their personal life is just that, personal and we don't gossip. So discussing how they met with you is gossip. You'll be spending time with Stephanie when we go meet Sally Sweet for your disguise, you can ask her then."

"Cal, there you go jumping to the wrong conclusion. I didn't mean anything buy it, I was simply curious." I felt like I was being talked to like a child.

"Yeah I know it's a girl thing and you can ask her yourself, if she doesn't want to answer she'll tell you it's private." He looked at me with a straight face.

"Yvonne, I said it before, when it comes to Stephanie; we are all overprotective of her. There have been plenty of times that we each have taken Ranger to the mats because of dumb ass things he has done or said. His orders from the day they met were to protect her at all times and at all cost. As part of this we agreed along with protecting her from him."

"What do you mean protecting her from him, was he abusive to her?" I asked with hesitation.

"No not at all, he would never ever lay a hand on her. However, they both have been stubborn about their feelings towards each other and both have said and done some really stupid shit to hide their feelings. That is as far as I am going, don't push it any further." His look was stern and final.

"Alright, alright don't get upset. I understand your loyalty towards them both but especially to Stephanie and I don't want to pry." I ended the uncomfortable conversation quickly.

Cal brought each of us a bottle of beer and sat on the couch next to me, he was sitting awfully close and next thing I knew we were kissing, passionately. Where that came from I have no idea but I was not about to tell him to stop, I did not want him to stop. In the midst of our kissing, there was touching on his part and before I realized what was happening my shirt and bra went flying across the room.

His shirt was next, followed by his cargo pants and my jeans. I was looking at a very naked Cal with an impressive body that had all the right equipment. I was burning from head to toe but mainly in all the important places. He was exploring my body as if he was on a fact-finding mission and honestly, I did not mind one bit.

The alarm rang it was 6:45 a.m. I rolled over on my back and felt a smile on my face about my dream that Cal and I had mad passionate sex after playing chess. As I began waking up more, I realized I was naked. I know I did not go to bed like this. I got out of bed moving very slowly, then I realized it was not a dream at all, it really happened.

What a night that was, my word the man was good. He was huge in all the right places. Some of the things he did to me were mind blowing. Never have I experienced such pleasure with anyone else. Cal was one hell of a sexy man. Oh the things he did with his tongue and hands makes me want more. I started the coffee and decided to take a shower.

As I was drying my hair, I noticed bite marks on my neck, arms and breasts. Goodness what did he do to me and why did I not feel it at the time? I could not help but smile, I need to get this schoolgirl grin off my face. No one is to know. I wondered if it would happen again, well the chess set was still on the side table so he will have to come back at some point.

I was not sure of the plans for today so I decided to wear my Rangeman uniform. Miss Ella had left an additional two shirts and a pair of black cargo pants on a freshly made bed and my laundry bin was empty indicating she had been here while I was in the shower.

I finished my coffee and made my way to the fifth floor. I really should have gone to the gym but from the way my body was feeling it was obvious Cal had given me a good work out. Therefore, the gym was not necessary. I was a little apprehensive about seeing Cal. I am not sure how to react when I see him.

The elevator stopped on my floor and the doors opened to Hector leaning back against the wall. I greeted him as I got inside. He just nodded and stared at the doors. The man scares the shit out of me. I do recall talking about him last night and even Cal admitted that most of the Rangemen were a little scared of Hector. He is not one to mess with nor do I want to get on his wrong side because I do believe he would cut me into pieces. He adores Stephanie though, I think if she asked him for the stars in the sky he would find a way to get them for her. I wish I had friends like that.

The doors opened to the fifth floor and both Hector and I got out and made our way to the break room. I do not understand why it's called a break room. It is more like a dining room, with nice tables, beautiful dark cabinets and stone counter tops. It was beautifully decorated and very comfortable. The far end of the room had couches, comfortable chairs and a large screen television with bookcases full of books. Ranger spared no expense on making sure his men were comfortable.

After putting food on my plate, I poured coffee and sat at one of the tables. I was alone until Zip and a few men I did not recognize walked in. Zip brought his plate and coffee over and joined me, as did the other men. I was introduced to Ramon, Miguel, and Will. The guys asked how my evening was and I said it was pretty quiet. I explained that I played chess and ate dinner.

Zip and Ramon looked at me, said uh huh, and made themselves busy eating their food. Cal walked into the break room greeted everyone and announced the shift meeting in 10, the Fabian meeting in 30, then turned and walked out. My first instincts were to be offended but I have to realize that this is a place of business and these men all have important duties. I am not going to act like a crushed schoolgirl. What happened last night was wonderful and I will not make too much of it.

Once I was finished with breakfast, I threw my trash in the garbage and started to wash my plate. I heard a gentle voice behind me. "Oh no my dear, don't fret about that. I will take care of it you go sit and watch some television or read until they are ready for you. Hello Yvonne, I am Ella." She explained introducing herself to me.

"Oh Miss Ella, it is wonderful to finally meet you. Thank you for everything you have done to make me feel comfortable in the apartment and thank you for the uniforms. You have a great talent; my clothes are a perfect fit"

Miss Ella and I chatted a bit and I asked her if I could be of any help but she insisted I go and sit down. I took her suggestion and turned on the television to a cartoon channel playing Tom and Jerry. It brought me back to my childhood and how I loved watching cartoons on the weekends.

Zip came into the room and announced it was time for the Fabian meeting, so I got up and followed him to the conference room. I walked in to see the leadership team already seated. Ranger was seated at the head of the table, Stephanie to his left and Tank to his right. I need to find out why they always sit in that arrangement. Everyone else was seated and I took the only open chair, which was at the other end of the table directly opposite of Ranger. The three of them were staring at me as if I had done something wrong.

"Is there a problem?" I asked looking at Ranger. He looked at me as if to say how dare you question me. I did not receive an answer to my question. The agenda was displayed on the smart board.

"Stephanie's car" Ranger asked in military fashion. "Boss we have a Mercedes SLK Roadster convertible, in red." Lester answered.

"Security and tracking systems." Ranger turned to Hector "There will be no issues at all Boss, all the devices are installed and will not be detected. Angelita will be as safe in the car as she is here," Hector replied.

"Condo, status" Ranger asked with authority.

"I've spoken to management. Stephanie has secured the unit and we will be going over to look at the place later today. While we keep the property manager busy, Manny, Hector and Ram will go into Soir's unit and set up the cameras, mics etc. Hector and Manny can report further on that." Tank informed the group.

Hector took his turn to explain the equipment that was being installed in Fabians unit.

"Boss, we will set up a wireless router that will be attached to our system. We will be able see his every move. He will not have a private moment. We can log on to the feed from our tablets, phones and in the control room. The devices are so small he will never notice them and they will not alert if a detector is used to sweep the condo. We will see and hear everything he does. Once he is here we will install trackers on his car."

"What about Stephanie's unit?" Ranger asked with much concern.

"No worries there either boss. We will hear and see everything your woman is doing from tablets, phones and monitors in the control room. She will have privacy trust me; you will be the only one to have the all access code. The rest of us will not have full access unless the tracker is activated in the bathroom and bedroom."

"Very good, how much time do you need to set all this up in Soir's unit?" Ranger asked Manny.

"It will take a couple of hours at least; the property manager will be giving Stephanie a tour of the building. Then she and the property manager will go and tour the area, shopping, restaurants, grocery stores and from there they go to lunch."

"Stephanie, since you're a soon to be divorced filthy rich woman, you insist on having security with you when you are out in public. Cal, Woody, and I will be your team and we will be with you today. I will explain to the property manager who we are" Tank added.

"Lester, Manny, Hal, Ram and Bobby, you are the designated men that Stephanie will be dating. You are to go out and buy some clothes, casual and dressy and include a couple of suits. A classy rich woman will only date high class men, nothing flashy got it?" Tank instructed the men. They answered yes sir, in true military fashion.

"Tank, make sure I'm on the list for several dates got it? Babe your turn, what do you have to report." Ranger looked at his wife still very concerned about her involvement in all this.

"I am Michelle Plumineri Arrington, soon to be ex-wife of Myles Anthony Arrington, from Miami. Arrington is worth 10.5 billion dollars. He's an aristocrat and comes from old money. He buys companies that are struggling, builds them up to their highest potential, and then sells them. MAA Management Corporation is his company. He is listed in the top 50 wealthiest men in Florida. I have created a bio on him, should Fabian or anyone do a search. Hector set it up that any search for that name, automatically comes to Rangeman and Hector will send off the information I have created."

I could not believe all that had been set up in such a short time. I was impressed not only with the men but with Stephanie. She is damn good at this thing they call distraction. I cannot wait to see it in motion.

"Ranger, I hope that you plan on wining and dining me on our dates and the rest of you boys, you have competition so follow his lead. I will make you all very happy." Stephanie giggled, Hal turned red, and Lester wiggled his eyebrows while Manny and Bobby both smacked Lester on the head.

"Babe, you better re-think your plans on making the rest of the boys happy, the only one you need to worry about is me." Ranger said to his wife as he kissed the side of her head.

"Yvonne, my friend Sally Sweet will be here shortly and you will be spending the day with him. Vince will be with you today taking you shopping for the items that Sally needs for your disguise. Sally is a dear friend and he is quite the character. Be nice to him and please do not act European towards him, he has great people instincts. Vince if you see there is any type of friction intervene alright?" Stephanie was authoritative and by her remark about not acting European, I realized that she too felt the same way as the guys did the day before. Wow, I did not see that coming.

As everyone was going over the details, I heard someone coming down the hall talking loudly and in walks this; I am not sure what to call this person. The ugliest he/she I have ever seen in my entire life.

"Hello, hello my handsome friends, Stephanie, you look beautiful as ever and Ranger, you look divine. My girl must be taking great care of you. OK where is my German girl, let me take a look at you, come on, come on, now is not the time to dilly dawdle we have a lot of work to do." Said this flamboyant he/she. I raised my hand and introduced myself to who I presumed was Sally Sweet, he walked over to me and shook my hand.

"Well Yvonne, stand up and let me take a look at you. I need to get an idea of what to do with you." He said in a bossy tone. As I stood up, I saw the smirks and grins on the faces of everyone around the table which told me that they were enjoying this show.

"OK you all have your tasks, let's get going. Babe do you have everything you need for your meeting today with the property manager?" Ranger asked her.

"Yes I do, I'm going upstairs to change into my clothes, Hector do you have my ID packet ready?"

"Yes Angelita, I will have it for you when you come back down stairs. You will not be driving your car to the meeting; there are still a few things I need to test." Hector said to Stephanie.

I very reluctantly followed Sally Sweet with Vince following behind us to a smaller conference room and once there Zip joined us. I was not sure who was scarier Hector or Sally Sweet. I have a feeling I am not going to like what Sally decides to do with me, but I have to go along with it in order to make this all work out, otherwise I will sit in the apartment playing chess while all the action is miles away. Once we arrived in the conference room. I walked in to see a variety of clothes, wigs, and makeup, you name it, and Sally had it.

"OK, ok, no dilly dallying, Yvonne, let's get a move on, time is of the essence. Let me take a good look at you." Sally was turning me around and all he said was hunh, ok, uhhuh.

"Yvonne, you say this man has seen you before, how were you dressed?" Sally asked abruptly.

"Well I am not sure how many times he saw me but….." Sally interrupted me quickly.

"Look, I don't want to know how many times, I want to know how you were dressed and what hair style you had" He said rather curtly.

"Alright, there is no need to get aggravated, Sally. I was wearing a skirt, blouse and jacket, my hair was longer, it hit right here," I pointed at my collarbone and he continued looking me over.

"Yvonne, you are going to be Chester. I will give you a mustache and goatee; darken your eyebrows and add glasses. Your hair will be spiked and you will wear a baseball cap. I will also give you brown colored contacts. You will be a man." When Sally said that I wanted to put my hands around his neck and choke the air out of him.

"WHAT, A MAN, ARE YOU CRAZY?" I shouted at him, "Why the hell do I have to be a man. Can't you make me into a different looking female?"

"Because he has already seen you as a woman. Listen Miss Know It All. I have been charged with making you look very different. I was told there is too much riding on this case, you either cooperate or you sit on the sidelines here at Rangeman until the team does their thing." Sally shouted right back at me. Vince stormed into the room just as we were done shouting and now we were staring at each other.

"What the fuck is all the shouting about?" Vince asked in anger.

"This idiot wants to make me a man. Why can't I be a woman? Is being a man some sort of a joke and retaliation because of my remarks about Stephanie?" I was livid.

"What remarks about Stephanie have you..." Sally shouted as Vince quickly cut him off.

"No Yvonne, it's not retaliation. Soir has already seen you, we can't take any chances so either you go with what Sally says or you stay here on your ass all day while we are out trying to solve YOUR CASE IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?" Vince was really mad, the veins on the side of his temples were pulsating.

"Fine, if that's my only choice." I snarled back at Sally and Vince. Sally began pulling clothes off the racks.

"Vince, I need a couple of rolls of duct tape, I have to tape her boobs, she can't be having man boobs." Sally said. That is just great I thought to myself. As if being a man is not humiliating enough, I now have to be flat chested. I do not like this one bit.

While I was going through this ordeal with this Sally Sweet person, Stephanie and her team were headed over to the condominium. We will all be meeting later this evening to get all the details finalized. I am so mad right now, I cannot even think straight.

Vince and Zip walked out the room and I heard Vince grunt and growl while Zip laughed saying, "good job on taking control of that cat fight Vince, I didn't know you had it in you."

"Somehow I don't think that this was a single incident. I have a feeling I'll be putting a stop to many cat fights where Yvonne and Sally are concerned." I heard laughter and I sat waiting for Sally Sweet to finish looking through his supply of items, all the while rambling on and on about an Uzi, Slayers and a bus. I had no clue what he was referring to and now I do not want to know.

I know one thing; I have to schedule time alone with Stephanie before we begin this distraction. I did not like the fact that she felt the need to make a remark about me not behaving European. I needed to set things straight, as much as I don't want to piss of Hector, I don't want to get on Stephanie's bad side either because I know all the men will retaliate, I have no doubt about that.

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 _ **A/N:**_ Thank you all for the great reviews, I appreciate them.

So what do you think retaliation or the only solution? Vince was quite the mediator don't you think?

 _ **SUSAN PETERS**_ , as always you rock, thank you for doing this before you leave for vacation, I appreciate it.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Yvonne's Story

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I had finally calmed down from my anger and the argument that ensued after Sally Sweet informed me that I would be disguised as a man. I totally understand the reasoning since Soir knows me and we can't take any chances, but a man really. As soon as I was myself again, I called Stephanie to ask if she and I could go out for dinner alone.

"Hello Stephanie, this is Yvonne. Listen if you don't have anything important scheduled this evening after our meeting, would it be possible for the two of us to go out to dinner?" I asked not knowing if she was upset with me.

"Hey Yvonne, Ranger and I had planned on having dinner together but I'll tell him there's been a change of plans. We'll leave when the meeting is over or when I feel that you and I are not really needed any further." Her tone was not one that indicated she was upset or angry with me.

We finished our conversation and I went to my apartment to pick up my notebook deciding to go to the break-room to work on my book. I poured myself a cup of coffee and opted to eat some fresh fruit and cheese. I sat down on one of the leather chairs arranged myself into a comfortable position and opened my note book.

I was writing down a few notes when Zip and Vince walked into the break-room with Sally Sweet tagging along behind them, he was being as flamboyant as possible. Where on earth did Stephanie meet Sally Sweet, I can't wait to hear the story behind their friendship.

"Hey Yvonne, what 'ya doing?" Zip asked walking towards me.

"I'm working on some notes for my book and I was in the mood for some fruit." I replied happy that he wasn't mad. "What's your book about?" He asked with interest looking at my notes.

"It's about a man who is under contract with the government to take part in undercover covert operations to rid the world of various terrorists, drug lords and other evil beings. He and his team were on a recent mission and ran into some trouble. They were stranded in a cave during the winter and he lost a few of his men leaving only three survivors. They all suffered very serious injuries that required amputations of limbs etc." I said giving him a brief description.

"Sounds intriguing, Yvonne, can't wait to read it once it's published." Zip replied. I thanked him and continued writing notes. Sally Sweet made himself something to eat and came and sat on the couch next to my chair and turned on the TV, with Zip and Vince joining him.

"Yvonne, will the noise from the TV break your concentration?" Sally asked with genuine concern. "No, no it's fine I'm working on notes." I answered then continued writing.

I didn't realize how boring it can be when you're out of your element and in unfamiliar surroundings. I am basically confined to this building until someone goes out on a task and asks if I want to tag along. Everyone here is so busy doing their jobs.

Junior came storming into the room telling Vince that a skip had been spotted. Vince and Zip jumped off their chairs. Before heading out Zip stopped and asked if I wanted to join them. I was not about to say no, I quickly gathered up my notebook and put it in the desk that was in the cubicle I was assigned and joined the guys.

As we were leaving, Ramon handed me a safety vest, black Rangeman jacket and cap and ordered me to put them on immediately. I complied as we walked towards the elevator. Reaching the garage we climbed into the truck with me sitting in the back. Zip handed me a folder telling me to study it and be on the lookout. He also handed me an ear piece telling me to put it in my ear. He instructed me to let them know quietly if I see anything while I am in the car.

We arrived at an old building that clearly had been neglected. Vince parked the truck telling us to hold on for a few minutes, we saw movement inside the building and the guys got ready to do their thing.

"Yvonne, you stay here, if we don't come out in 10 minutes, push the communication button on the screen and tell the control room to send back up immediately. Take this gun, shoot and ask questions later and DO NOT, and I mean DO NOT leave the vehicle, is that understood?" Vince ordered with the authority of a General. "Yes sir, understood." I couldn't help but reply firmly, he meant business and I had to comply. I was not about to put them or myself in harms way.

I watched them move like panthers pursuing their prey, it was impressive and exciting. I lowered myself inside the car so I wouldn't attract any attention should someone decide to surprise us. I positioned myself in a way that I could easily scope out the perimeter and alert the guys should an unknown show up.

Our vehicle was hidden so when an additional beat up old car pulled up to the building, they missed it. I watched as two strange looking men got out. "Hey, a car pulled up with two crazy looking guys walking inside the building." I reported, it felt good to be helpful and not just sitting around twirling my fingers.

"Call for back up" Zip ordered. I immediately pushed the console's communication button, "control room, report." Said the voice from the other end.

"Zip and Vince need back up at our location. They're in the building searching for the skip and two additional men just arrived, we're parked behind some bushes. I've alerted the team about the additional men, Zip requested back up." I was very impressed with myself as I was reporting the situation to the control room.

"Roger that, back up has been dispatched. Yvonne, this is Alex, push the button with the red star, which will keep us connected so we can monitor. You won't hear us but we'll hear everything that's going on." And there was silence.

"Understood Alex" and I sat back surveying the area. It was quiet when I heard a car pull up next to our truck, nodding, the Rangeman guys made their way towards the building in stealth mode.

A few shots rang out as well as shouting, after about 10 minutes I saw the Rangeman team walking out with four crazy looking men. One was limping and had blood dripping from his leg, two others had blood pouring from their noses and one looked as if he was ready to fall flat on his face.

Two men were strapped and shackled in the third row of our vehicle and the other two in the back seat of the second car. I was given praise from Vince and Zip and we were on our way to the Trenton PD to turn in the skips and collect body receipts. Arriving at the Police Department the guys took care of business as I sat and watched.

Joe Morelli walked towards me with a suspicious look on his face. "Ms. Schultz isn't it?" he asked.

"Yes it is Detective Morelli." I replied staring into his face.

"Ms. Schultz, I didn't catch why you're here, are you on Rangeman business?" Now he was getting pushy and nosy.

"Well Detective Morelli, unless my reason for being here is upsetting the Trenton PD, then it shouldn't really matter why I'm here." I replied while glaring at him.

Zip and Vince were finished with the desk Sergeant and walked over to me with a look of hatred on their faces. "Morelli, do you have a problem with Ms. Schultz?" Vince asked with a growl.

"Nope, no problem at all, simply being friendly, no need to get bent out of shape." With that reply, Morelli walked away while Vince and Zip both muttered freaking jack ass under their breath and I laughed following them out the door.

"What was Morelli asking you?" Vince asked as soon as we got in the car.

"He wanted to know if I was here on Rangeman business. I told him it was none of his concern." I answered with a smile. Vince and Zip both shook their heads and drove back to the office. Taking the elevator to the fifth floor I went to my cubicle and picked up my notebook to return to the break-room while the guys finished up their paperwork.

I was starting to get a little hungry. I was debating whether I should eat something or not when Ranger, Stephanie, Tank and the rest of the team returned. Tank announced there will be a Soir meeting in 10, I gathered up my things and put them away. I made a trip to the rest room and poured myself coffee before walking to the conference room taking a seat.

As always, the seating pattern was with Ranger at the head of the table, Stephanie to his left and Tank to his right. I decided I was going to ask him about their seating arrangement, but not until I am ready to walk on to the jet way of the aircraft heading back to Germany that way he can't kill me. I am learning a lot about surveillance and how important it is to work as a team. Once this is over I may ask Ranger if I can return and train with these guys.

Tank opened the meeting by congratulating Vince and Zip on the apprehension of the skip earlier today.

"Before we begin the meeting, I'd like to recognize and acknowledge today's apprehension. As you know the bond was expiring on Marino and everyone did a bang up job finding him. Vince and Zip not only captured him but another FTA wanted by the FBI. Today's capture was a good one; we caught two birds with one stone. Capturing these goons was a large payoff."

Zip and Vince had a huge smile on their face, It's nice to see them smile. Everyone around the table clapped congratulating the guys and Tank continued.

"Guys, you did great in dressing Yvonne and instructing her on what to do if there was trouble. I would like to recognize Ms. Mueller for being aware of her surroundings and keeping an eye out, she immediately noticed company and reported that fact to the team. Ms. Mueller called for backup and the apprehension went very clean and smooth. Had it not been for Yvonne our guys would have walked into an ambush and it would not have been pretty."

I was so surprised that I was acknowledged because I really didn't do much but I appreciated Tank thanking me. After the continued misunderstanding between myself and the guys it felt good to be on the same side.

"Zip, Vince and Ms. Mueller you three did an awesome job. Everyone who was involved in finding Marino will be getting an extra bonus in your checks. The capture fee is larger than we anticipated and you all deserve it."

More clapping ensued and Tank turned to me. "Ms. Mueller, thank you for your assistance. You may think that you didn't do much but your help was instrumental and you saved our guys from an ambush and for that we are grateful. You will be compensated for your role in this capture, we can discuss the details later."

The room filled with clapping again and I was being acknowledged by a group of tight knit people who are the best of the best. It felt wonderful and also reinforced that I need to learn so much more if I want to be good at my job.

Ranger decided to throw in a few comments.

"I'll make this brief, very nice job men. The entire team is deserving of the extra bonus. Ms. Mueller, I want to thank you for being the eyes that my men needed in the field, I appreciate it very much. Now let's get on with the Soir briefing." Ranger was brief but his appreciative words spoke volumes.

Stephanie passed out documents that pertained to the case to add to our file. It amazes me at the amount of work that is involved in apprehending Fabian, no wonder I haven't been able to capture him myself. I definitely need better training and tools to be effective in my job.

"Ok everyone, before I start, I'd like to thank you Yvonne for keeping an eye out for my Merry Men. I don't know what I would have done had they been ambushed, but thankfully none of us have to worry about that." Stephanie said with gratitude.

"So everything is in place. I will be moving into the condo in the next couple of days. Hector and his team will be installing all the gadgets into Fabian's condo before he moves in. The concert is set up, it will be a battle of the bands fund raising event. Red will be the headlining band and I will be singing with them."

I was surprised that she will be on stage with the band but then Stephanie is full of surprises and I am sure quite a handful for Ranger, but they make a great team both professionally and personally.

Stephanie continued.

"Yvonne/Chester you will be with a team that will be inspecting 'Thunder', Fabian's restaurant & club. You will also be assisting Vince with the inspection while he installs tiny recording devices inside the office and other areas. The inspection will take a couple of days, after that Chester will be gone and Sally will come up with another disguise for you so you can move freely with the guys."

I was relieved that my time as a man was going to be a short one, but was afraid of what Sally Sweet may have in store for me after that. I listened as she continued.

"When I leave here I will be Michelle Arrington. Ranger, Mr. Ramirez from the jewelry store will be bringing my jewels over later this evening. We need someone to pick him up and escort him since he will be carrying quite a few valuable pieces and I don't want to take any chances. I passed out all the details to add to your folder. You have your instructions, there's no need for me to read it since you are the experts. Ranger, you will have to win me over to date me just know that I won't make it easy on you. Oh by the way, you are Alejandro or Alex Sosa."

Ranger was trying not to smile at Stephanie in reference to her remark about playing hard to get. She is enjoying teasing her husband and the guys were laughing at her giving their boss orders.

"I have nothing more to add, unless anyone has questions." The men shook their heads saying no and Tank closed the meeting. We all stood up and Stephanie advised me to wait. As the men were leaving they made it a point to thank me for what I did earlier today. Stephanie finished talking to Ranger and walked over to me.

"Ranger is ok with you and me going to dinner. I always have a shadow so Cal and Manny will be following us, where would you like to go?" Stephanie asked.

"I was looking through some of the various menus' and I would like to try Mexican food if that's ok with you." I answered feeling hungry.

"I'll pick you up at your apartment around 6:30, the restaurant is casual." Stephanie replied.

Ranger put his arm around his wife and thanked me again and they walked out of the conference room. I took the stairs to my apartment while they took the elevator to their apartment.

It will be good to spend some time alone with Stephanie this evening and clear up any misconceptions that she may have. I realized today how I felt when the unexpected car showed up and I was worried for Vince and Zip. I now see where being over protective fits in, these people are more than co-workers, they are a family a very tight family at that. I set the alarm and decided to take a little rest before I got ready for the evening.

The alarm rang waking me up from a nice nap. I chose my clothes for tonight and took a shower. I took a little bit more time in fixing my hair and putting on my makeup. Since Cal was going to be within close proximity, I thought I'd try to get his attention because I definitely would like a repeat of our night together besides, we have a chess game to finish.

Stephanie knocked and when I opened the door I saw that Ranger was with her. I didn't know he would be joining us. "Oh hello Ranger, I didn't know you were going to join us." I said.

"No I won't be joining you; I just wanted to walk Stephanie down to the garage." He answered looking at his wife lovingly.

We took the elevator to the garage and he handed Stephanie a set of keys, "Oh Ranger, no I am not going to take your Porsche you know the luck I have when I drive that thing." She was going through her bag and retrieved her keys.

"Babe, you'll be fine, here." Ranger took her keys out of her hand and walked her to a beautiful black Porsche, opened the door and helped her in the car. He fastened her seat belt and kissed her.

I sat in the car and immediately melted into the plush leather seat, what a beautiful car. I could tell that Stephanie was nervous about driving. After sitting in the garage for a few minutes, she took a deep breath and we left. She handled the car smoothly but I must admit she drove like an old lady.

We arrived at a Mexican Restaurant called Casa Lupita. There was a spot close to the door and Stephanie parked with a sigh of relief. We went inside and were shown to our table. I knew that Cal and Manny were with us but I couldn't see them inside, I guess that's what they call blending in. We were immediately served some type of crackers, red sauce in a bowl as well as something green. "Stephanie, explain what these items are, please."

"These are chips, salsa and guacamole, the salsa is made of tomatoes, onions and other items, and the guacamole is made from avocadoes." She replied explaining the items to me.

"Oh ok, they are delicious." I said as I ate, I asked for her suggestions on what I should order.

"How about I order a few different items and we can share. The servings are large so there will be plenty and I'll order us beer to drink, is that ok with you?" I agreed with her knowing this way I would be able to enjoy a variety of food.

Our waiter brought over two bottles of Corona with a lime wedged in the mouth of each bottle. I followed her direction by sliding the lime on the lip of the bottle and putting the lime into the beer. It was pretty tasty I must admit.

"Corona is the best beer to drink with Mexican food, do you like it?" Stephanie asked me as she drank her beer.

"Yes I do, it's tasty and I like the slight hint of lime." Our waiter came back and asked if we were ready to order. Stephanie ordered several entrees and we continued eating our chips, salsa and guacamole.

"Stephanie, are Cal and Manny here? I've been looking for them but I don't see them." I asked with curiosity. "Yes, they're sitting at a table over in the corner by a plant with their backs to the wall." She turned to their direction and nodded.

"They are very good at this blending in technique" I remarked.

I was a little nervous about starting this conversation but it needed to be done. So I finished up my beer and I was about to order us another round but Stephanie stopped me saying that one beer was her limit, she doesn't handle alcohol well and certainly not while driving Ranger's baby.

"Stephanie why are you so nervous about driving Ranger's car?" I asked amusingly.

She looked at me and began to explain. "Well I have the uncanny ability to have my cars blown up, not through any fault of my own mind you. My own cars were all pieces of shit but Rangeman vehicles are another story. You've seen the fleet of cars." She said smiling.

"Ranger has let me use his baby on two occasions, the first time I was at a trash collection company. I had parked his Porsche on the side in the parking lot and as luck would have it a big garbage truck turned into the parking lot and rolled over the car crushing it and then it blew up. The second time, someone was after a friend who was inside and when he got out to help me bring things to the car it went boom."

I looked at her laughing because the look on her face when she said it went boom was priceless. "Stephanie, I'm sorry but that is funny. I don't blame you for not wanting to drive Ranger's car. Has it happened a lot?"

"Oh yeah, lots and lots of times. I stopped keeping track, although the blown up cars stopped once I worked exclusively for Rangeman with a partner. Funny coincidence wouldn't you say?" she replied smiling.

"Who did you work for before Rangeman then?" I asked confused.

"Well I lost my job as a buyer at a lingerie company and I blackmailed my cousin Vinnie to hire me as a bounty hunter. I was terrible but thanks to Ranger and his men I had a pretty good capture rate. They trained me to do my job very well."

I was surprised to hear that she was a buyer and had no experience in this field. You would never know it with the skills she displays.

"How did you and Ranger meet, if you don't mind me asking?" I figured I would try and see how far I could get.

"Well when I first started working for Vinnie, my friend Connie the office manager called Ranger and asked him to mentor me and show me the ropes of the industry. I was Eliza and he was Professor Higgins. There was an immediate connection and some major chemistry between us from the first day we met. We both hid our feelings from each other for a couple years plus I was in an on again off again relationship with Morelli, it was all quite dysfunctional. We finally pulled our heads out of the sand and here we are married."

Again, I was shocked about how open she was, so different than what I imagined.

"Do you find it difficult being married to someone like Ranger? I mean no offense but the man is tight as a drum and somewhat scary." I was waiting for her to get upset but she didn't.

"Oh, well he is very tough because of his military experience and the countless missions he has done. He runs the business in military fashion. He hires top notch men that are extremely experienced in their field and are loyal to him, they trust him completely and he trusts them equally. Add to all that he is a fitness health fanatic. " She explained.

She looked at me smiling. Her eyes were glowing as she was talking about Ranger, showing the love and pride she has for him.

"He is a very loving man; he's been my rock from day one. Whenever there was any type of incident he would come to the scene immediately, look me over to make sure I wasn't hurt wrap me in his arms and let me cry. Joe on the other hand would arrive and yell at me, telling me I couldn't do this job while humiliating me in front of everyone. Joe's behavior undermined my self-confidence and self-esteem"

She became a little sad explaining about how Joe would treat her, I felt bad for her.

"Ranger and I spent many years dancing around our feelings and when I finally caught Joe cheating with the 150th bimbo, I had enough. It was during a distraction that went bad and I was hurt pretty seriously and was hospitalized I was out of it for a couple of days and when I woke up Ranger was in the hospital room with me apparently he had not stepped out of the room since I was admitted it was then he confessed his feelings and the rest is history."

I am getting a glimpse of the sweet and loving Stephanie that the guys all see and I feel horrible about my previous thoughts I had of her. Our food arrived and the waiter put the plates in the middle of the table naming each of the items and left us to enjoy our meal.

"Come on Yvonne, dig in you will love the food, trust me." Stephanie said as she took some of the items and put them on her plate. And there was that moaning again, the woman loves her food I can tell you that, but now I find the moaning funny rather than annoying. After I took a few bites which was absolutely delicious I was almost tempted to moan a little myself but I managed to control it.

"Stephanie, the reason I wanted us to have dinner tonight is that I need to clear the air on some misunderstandings between myself and the rest of the team." I looked at her and she smiled a little.

"When you made that comment about Sally Sweet and my attitude towards him, I realized that you also have misunderstood how I feel about you just as the guys do and I want to clear things up." I was worried that I might be making things worse.

She continued eating but was waiting for me to go on. In between bites I managed to explain what my interpretation of her had been and the misconceptions I had about her. When I said that I felt she got by on her looks she became shy and a little shocked.

"Yvonne, let me tell you a story. For as long as I can remember my mother let me know that I did nothing but embarrass her. She made sure to tell me that I played too rough, I got too dirty and that I was a disappointment. When I was seven years old I jumped off our garage roof hoping to fly. All I managed was to fall to earth breaking my arm. For that she grounded me until the cast came off. Repeatedly she enrolled me in every class a little girl dreamed of like dancing, music and cooking. I failed every class and each time I received what she called a 'suitable' punishment."

I listened intently.

"When I was sixteen and working after school at the Tasty Pastry bakery Joe Morelli came in one night at closing and convinced me to lose my virginity. He was eighteen at the time and left the next morning for a two year enlistment in the Navy. Before he left he wrote about it on quite a few walls in town. All this resulted in my humiliation and not being allowed to work, date or participate in school activities. After I graduated college I was convinced to marry a man because he was my best chance at happiness only to find him cheating on me in our own home only months in to our marriage. After a well-publicized divorce my mother brainwashed me into believing Morelli was my last chance at love."

I couldn't believe how open she was about her life.

"With this type of emotional abuse it was a wonder that I could even consider myself as average looking. But with Ranger's help and my Merry Men I have worked extremely hard to gain my self-esteem and self-confidence back. I had an unbelievable capture rate for someone with little to no training. Add in the experience working as a researcher at Rangeman where I was able to find information about skips that no one seemed to find, I came to realize I had talent. Doing distractions taught me how to read a person's body language so that I could convince them to follow me out of a social situation allowing the guys to apprehend the skip without any collateral damage to property or persons."

I sat listening in shock because what she was telling me was so personal but yet she felt comfortable enough to share it all with me, I really misunderstood Stephanie Manoso.

"I am telling you to show you that with the proper training and support from those who truly love you anything is possible. The people I surround myself with have instilled me with the confidence which you now see. Yvonne, I know that you have had some issues as far as I was concerned and I know that you were read the riot act in the gym. Hector spoke to Ranger about it and he viewed the video footage and … well let's just say he wanted to scrap this mission and send you back to Germany or leave you to catch Fabian on your own."

Wow when she said that I was shocked. I had no idea Ranger even knew about what happened in the gym and the fact that he wanted to send me off without finishing the job terrified me.

"Don't worry; he's not going to go through with it. I talked him into sticking with the plan telling him that I understood the difference in cultural personalities and how Europeans feel about Americans, some do consider us as arrogant. It took some convincing and lots of kissing for him to agree with me." Stephanie giggled at her comment and looked at me very seriously.

"Look don't fret over it any more, let's just chalk it up to misunderstandings by countries and move on. It makes no sense to dwell on this, we have a job to do and we can't do it effectively if there are issues between us. So it's all over with and no more misconceptions from anyone alright?" She stared at me with a smile that was as genuine as can be.

"You're right, let's concentrate on getting Fabian and moving forward." I replied with a sigh of relief and happy that was over with. We can move on without any further issues or misunderstandings. We enjoyed the rest of the dinner and to my surprise, we managed to eat everything that was put in front of us. When our waiter came to clear our plates he asked if we were interested in dessert. Stephanie looked at him like he was a fool to ask such a question.

"We will have the Baked Flan and Tres Leches Cake, but give us about fifteen minutes for our food to settle." She told the waiter.

I asked what she ordered. She told me not to worry that the dessert was to die for so I took her at her word. The woman knows her food and desserts after all Mr. Pino takes advantage of her moaning when testing out new items, so who am I to question her. Stephanie got up saying she was going to use the restroom and I saw Cal get up and walk behind her. He takes his job very seriously but I guess she's had so many crazy people after her that neither Ranger nor the guys want to take any chances.

As Stephanie was heading back to the table I noticed a change in her facial expression. I looked around and noticed that Morelli was making his way to our table. I looked over at Cal and Manny both in a protective stance.

"Cupcake, you're having dinner without Manoso? Wow, now that's a shock if you ask me." Morelli said with attitude. Stephanie stood tall and straight giving him a look of hate and spoke to him in a tone that I have not heard from her at all she was not happy.

"Joe, you don't get to call me Cupcake any more so it ends today, do I make myself clear? And I did not ask you for your opinion about having dinner without my husband. Why are you here to spy on me or are you having a pathetic dinner alone?"

Morelli stood in place with an evil smirk on his face. "Oh Cupcake, much to your surprise, I am meeting someone for dinner. There are still women who enjoy my company." He replied sarcastically good grief the man is a fool.

"I mean it Joe, stop with the Cupcake crap. I've asked you on several occasions to stop if not I will let Ranger deal with you and trust me he will put a stop to it cop or no cop. Besides, I'm not above kicking you in the balls right here and now if you don't leave me alone."

He turned and walked away and met up with a cheap looking buxom woman. He made a show of kissing her and wrapped his arm around her waist as they were being taken to their table. Stephanie didn't pay one bit of attention, she acted like he wasn't even in the same room. The man is extremely good looking but is an arrogant ass who thinks he can get any woman he wants. I now understood things between them better after learning of their history from Stephanie.

"I wonder how much she's charging him." We both fell into a fit of laughter at her statement.

The waiter brought our desserts and she told him she wanted an order of Baked Flan to go. "It's Ranger's favorite dessert, the only one he will eat in fact." She said to me with a smile and we began eating dessert and yes the moaning was making an appearance again and I realized I was moaning too. After all the desserts were delicious.

"Stephanie, I have a question that has been stuck in my mind, I hope you don't mind all these questions." I said before I went further and she told me to ask. "I am curious with the seating arrangements during staff meetings, you are always at the left of Ranger and Tank to his right, why is that?" I waited for her to answer and the look was of confusion.

"You know I have no idea why that is you'll have to ask him."

I was surprised that Stephanie didn't want to rush dessert because of Morelli. This woman amazes me, she really does. We finished up our dessert and she asked me if I wanted another beer. I declined and the waiter brought over the additional dessert and left the check. She quickly pulled out her credit card handing it to the waiter. I told her I wanted to treat since I invited her to dinner, all she said was "oh pish posh" and dismissed the conversation. She settled the bill then we got up and walked out. As I turned back I noticed that Manny had walked over to Morelli's table and whispered something in his ear causing Morelli to turn white, I couldn't help but laugh at the fear on Morelli's face.

We made it back to the Rangeman garage and as soon as Stephanie parked the car she closed her eyes and said, "Thank you Lord for bringing the car home safe and sound." I could see the relief in her now that we were back home. I saw Ranger walking to the car and open the door as he took Stephanie by the hand and kissed her. We took the elevator and I pushed the button for my floor and thanked her for a wonderful evening and walked out. Manny and Cal were going to the fifth floor and Stephanie and Ranger were going on up to the seventh floor.

I went to my room happy about how the evening and conversation turned out knowing that we were all on the same page now. Stephanie is an incredibly sweet woman, I enjoyed spending time with her. Ranger and her have such a special relationship not only of love but mutual respect and pride for each other, it's something I've imagined for myself.

I changed out of my clothes and put on a pair of jogging pants and a t-shirt to relax. I turned on the TV and sat on the couch trying to find something to watch when there was a knock on my door. I couldn't figure out who it would be.

"Well hello Cal, come on in." I said surprised and excited opening the door to let the gorgeous man inside.

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 _ **A/N: Thank you for reading and following this story and I appreciate your reviews, you're all very sweet.**_

 _Well they finally cleared the air and they can move past the misconceptions and misunderstanding between the two countries._

 _I wonder what Cal is doing at Yvonne's door? Hmmmm….._

 _A couple or so chapters left and I'll be putting this baby to bed. The next chapter will be at the condo at the beach and will revolve around Stephanie putting herself out there for Fabian Soir to notice and fall for her._

 _As always, JE's characters are all hers, I only own the new characters introduced but the story line is all mine, mistakes and all._

 _Thank you_ _ **Susan Peters**_ _for always making my story shine._


	6. Yvonne's Story End

Chapter 6

Yvonne's Story

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I was very excited to see Cal when I opened my door. I was hoping that he came over to finish the chess game and maybe have a repeat of the last time we played chess.

"Hello Cal, come in, it's nice to see you. Can I get you something to drink?" I asked.

"Water will be good, I have to get up early in the morning" he answered, I brought Cal a bottled water while I drank a beer.

"Are you up for finishing the chess game, Yvonne?" I wanted to play with Cal more than I wanted to play chess but I must be patient.

"Yes, that sounds nice." I replied walking to the table where the game was set up.

We had been involved in the game for some time and it looked like Cal was going to win. He was acting a little funny like he had something to say. "Cal, is something bothering you?" He put his elbows on the table and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yvonne, what happened between us the last time we got together was the first and last time. I'm sorry to sound cold but it will not happen again." Cal said very straight forward and to the point.

"Cal have people found out about that night, did someone say something to you?" I asked somewhat upset.

He looked at me then took his move in the game, "No nothing has been said nor does anyone know what took place. I do not sleep with people I work with." I gave him a smirk.

"Okay so with the exception of Steph and Ella, this building is full of men, you know what I'm getting at."

I told him to continue as I took my next move.

"Anyway, I don't sleep around with people I am involved with in a business setting, you are working with Rangeman currently on this Soir case and that falls in line with my personal policy."

Anger was starting to grow inside me, but I needed to discuss this calmly. I didn't want to sound like a woman scorned.

"So you used me?" I replied point blank staring at him.

"No, I did not use you, it was something that happened between us and it shouldn't have. I crossed the line I have drawn for myself." He explained.

I wasn't sure if I should just get up and tell him to leave or continue this conversation, after thinking for a few minutes, I decided to continue. "Well Cal, if you thought I would make demands or I was expecting more from that night, you are mistaken. I wasn't expecting you to make promises for a long term thing between us. We had a night of sex and fun."

Although I did want a repeat of that night, I wasn't looking for any promises knowing full well I would be leaving for Germany when this was over.

"Yvonne, I know you weren't going to make any demands or expect anything more. I want to be upfront by not leaving you to think that there would be more of those same evenings. What happened that evening will not happen again. I don't want there to be any animosity between us especially with this case we're working on. It's far too important to let hurt feelings get in the way.

Did he think I was a young love struck girl? This man has some ego.

"Cal, thank you for being honest with me, I will not let any feelings that I may or may not have for you interfere or disrupt our working together on this case. Yes, it is a very important and I certainly don't want anything to jeopardize solving this case and taking Soir back to Germany." I stood up and began to pack up the chess game. I was no longer able to concentrate nor in the mood to play.

"Yvonne, we can continue the game, there's no reason to call it quits." I wanted to throw the chess set at him but wanted to remain calm.

"Cal it's all right, you're winning anyway and I'm really not able to focus on the game. Let's just call it a night and concentrate on the case." I said handing the chess set to him and walked towards the door and he left.

As much as I tried to control my anger and hurt, it didn't work. I was hurt and felt used. I wasn't expecting for him to fall madly in love with me but I just figured that if we did sleep with each other again it would have been okay and when the case was over, I would have left for Germany with no worries. I will keep my head focused on this case so it can be solved and I can get the hell out of this country with Fabian and get my money. I cleaned up the apartment and turned on the TV and a silly love story came on some channel, ugh, not exactly what I wanted to watch. I drank a few more beers and finally went to bed and fell asleep after about thirty minutes.

The alarm was buzzing. I had received a group text at some point last night with the schedule for the day. I read the details and saw I had two more hours so I set the timer and rolled back and fell asleep again. I woke up the second time, took a shower, made coffee and breakfast for myself. After that I prepared myself for the day.

Today is the day things go into motion and Chester was going to enter into the scenario. I made my way to the fifth floor conference room to a waiting but impatient Sally Sweet. Zip came into the room to check and make sure I was where I needed to be.

"Come on young lady, we have a lot of work to do so let's get to it." Sally Sweet ordered, kicking Zip out of the room to begin working on Chester. After I was done being turned into a man, I took a look in the mirror and have to admit I couldn't recognize myself. There was no way Fabian would recognize me either. Sally called for the guys and they walked in staring at me, I knew they wanted to start laughing but thankfully they chose not to.

Vince was our team lead, "Hang tight for one sec, just a few last minute details. Yvonne, your nickname is Chet, keep that name in your mind so when you're called on, you respond immediately. Zip, you are Z and I'm Vin, is that understood?" We nodded and replied, "Yes sir."

"OK we're on the move." Vince informed the control room and the other team members. Zip and I followed Vince taking the stairs to the garage where we got into a gray van. Zip was driving while Vince sat in the passenger seat, there were two seats in the back and I took one making myself comfortable. All the while I was familiarizing myself with the impressive equipment installed in the back. These guys think of everything.

Our drive was filled with last minute instructions, updates from our team on site as well as from the control room. It seemed that there were several members of Rangeman working on this case and I again realized why it had been so difficult for me to capture Soir.

We were listening and watching Stephanie, she was talking with Fabian, apparently they have met and the plan is in motion. "Miss. Arrington, it's nice to meet you again, did you have a pleasant evening?" It was a little difficult to keep up with him, he speaks with broken English.

"Fabian, it's Mrs. Arrington but please call me Michelle."

"As you wish, sweet lady." I watched this interaction between Stephanie and Fabian on the monitor and he kissed her hand, typical womanizer.

"What is on your agenda for today Fabian?" Stephanie asked him.

"Agenda, what is this agenda Michelle?" Fabian sounded confused.

"Um, let me think, how do I say agenda in Spanish, oh I think this is the right wording. Cuales son tus planes para hoy, is that correct?" She answered trying to sound puzzled.

"Redacción perfecta bella dama" (perfect wording beautiful lady) "you speak the language well." (Usted habla bien el idioma.)

"Oh no, Fabian, I speak little Spanish." She answered.

"Then allow me to teach you dear lady." He replied. "My plans for today are busy with Thunder. I am to meet inspectors who examine the building so it may pass for opening. And you?"

"I am having a late breakfast with a friend, he should be here shortly. I wish you luck with your inspection." Stephanie informed him.

"Adiós mi dulce, espero verte de nuevo muy pronto." (Goodbye my sweet, I look forward to seeing you again very soon.)

Fabian took her hand in his and kissed it. Just about the time Ranger appeared in the hallway. He was not happy, the cameras in the hallway were able to pick up very clearly the tension in his body.

"Good morning Marc, I was going to meet you downstairs." Stephanie said as she walked towards Ranger.

"Michelle, good to see you." Ranger took her hand and kissed her cheek.

Fabian stood in the hallway waiting for what appeared introductions.

"Marc, this is my neighbor Fabian Soir, he recently moved in across the hall from me. Fabian, this is my dear friend Marc Alvarez."

"Soir, señorita Arrington es un amigo especial, a mantener su distancia." Ranger growled with a cold look on his face.

(Soir, Miss Arrington is a special friend, keep your distance.)

"Señor, creo que ella es la señora Arrington y siempre y cuando la dama lo permite, voy a estar feliz de pasar tiempo con ella."

(Sir, I believe she is Mrs. Arrington and as long as the lady allows, I will be happy to spend time with her.) Fabian hissed.

Not only is Fabian a gorgeous man, he is also arrogant and sure of himself. Fabian Soir is a very sexy man, dark brown eyes, with pitch black wavy hair that lies below his ears with a nicely trimmed light beard. He is beautifully built, slightly shorter than Ranger with a slimmer build; Ranger could beat the shit out of Fabian. I think that they are both extremely gorgeous and women would drool and walk into walls looking at them. I know they would both make me do things that would have me feeling jittery all over.

"Espero que nuestro próximo paso mi querida,"

(I look forward to our next passing my dear)

Fabian walked towards the elevator. Ranger and Stephanie waited for him to get inside and make his way downstairs.

Ranger pulled Stephanie into his arms and gave her a kiss that left me weak in the knees.

"Um, Marc I don't kiss on the first date, I'm not that type of girl." Stephanie said laughing as she took a couple paces back.

"Shut up and kiss me Babe. I've missed you." Ranger grunted as he pulled her back into his arms and they kissed. I can tell you that it was quite the turn on.

"Uh boss, cameras in the hall." Cal announced.

"Then don't look if you can't handle it." Ranger barked and there was laughter throughout our earpieces and speakers in the vehicle.

"Are they always like this?" I asked innocently.

"Yeah and it will never change. They have what every couple on this earth strives for." Zip answered and gave me a look that dared me to bring it up again.

We arrived at Thunder taking out our tool bags and walked inside. Zip and I waited while Vince checked in with Fabian. Fabian explained what we needed to do and we were also told to do whatever was necessary to ensure the inspection does not fail. I stayed close to Zip with the cap pulled down to make sure that Fabian didn't recognize me. I followed instructions and performed the tasks that was asked of me. Fabian was busy with Vince and while Zip quickly went into the office to place various devices. Our code was 'we won't be too long' and that was the clue Zip needed to get out of the office. It seems Fabian was fooled by my cover as he showed no sign of recognition.

"I go to my office to leave you to work without disturbing you, call if you need something." Fabian said in broken English.

Vince stopped what he was doing. "We won't be too long Mr. Soir."

Fabian left, heading towards the back of the restaurant. A few minutes later Zip came back in through the front door.

"Everything good Z?" Vince inquired.

"Absolutely" and Zip walked around the building while I followed. He inspected various areas and I assisted while he installed tiny gadgets behind the bar that looked like screws. There was no way Fabian or anyone else would notice any of the tiny devices.

Fabian was true to his word leaving us to work without interruptions which was exactly what we needed. The devices were installed and we were given confirmation from each member that was assigned to monitoring specific units that everything was in perfect working order.

"Mr. Soir, we're all set here" shouted Vince and Fabian walked towards us. "The inspection is complete and passed 100% and you are good to go" Vince reported.

Zip and I picked up our bags and walked out to the van and got inside. Five minutes later, Vince came out and sat in the passenger seat letting out a huge sigh of relief.

"Let's roll Zip, head over to the rendezvous point." We drove to a remote parking area and waited, we were waiting for the rest of the team. I was reading a magazine when Zip started laughing I looked up and was staring at a large transportation bus or coach arrive in the parking lot, it was black with silver stripes with windows so dark, we couldn't even see the driver.

"Vince, take a look at that beast, that thing is the bomb." Zip said shaking his head.

"Is that ours?" I asked.

"Yes ma'am it sure is" replied Zip. I sat wide eyed staring at this enormous coach.

"What do you call that thing?" I asked in absolute shock.

"That is a luxury bus, typically used by bands that go out on tour; best way to describe it, a home on wheels." Zip answered.

"Won't we be obvious in that thing?" I asked.

"Nah, we'll fit right in, trust me." Vince informed me.

The bus parked next to us and I was instructed to follow Vince and Zip inside the oversized vehicle. As I walked up the steps, I saw two oversized seats in the front, driver and passenger seat, a small standing area with a door behind the seats and standing area. The door opened to what I can only describe as a command center, with computers, monitors, a small conference table, comfortable leather chairs, and counters below windows with closed blinds.

Ranger was sitting at a desk against a back wall and Tank was also seated behind a desk on the opposite side. Stephanie, Lester, Ram, Manny and Hal were each seated in chairs; I was escorted through another door to a little kitchen and bathroom with a full shower and sink. We walked through yet another door to the sleeping areas. Zip called them bunk beds, one on top and one on bottom, there were two sets on each side. Beyond another door was a large seating area with couches and tables, this was no doubt the rest and relaxation area of the command center.

Sally Sweet was seated on the couch with items displayed on the table; I was waved in to join Sally. As always Sally Sweet was in a hurry.

"Come, come, and let's get you out of that disguise and move on to your next character." I quickly moved to the table and sat down, I was curious not knowing what I was going to become next. I sat down patiently as my make-up and facial hair was slowly removed. I was instructed to shower and I was happy to comply. I put on a robe that was hanging on the door and dried my hair with a towel.

Once my hair was dry, I sat at the table while Sally added eyelash extensions and drew on a pair of nicely shaped eyebrows. When my make-up was complete, I was fitted with a pair of non-prescription eye glasses as well as a nylon cap of sorts which Sally informed me was for my wig. Sally pulled out two bags, one bag contained jeans, black and tan with a variety of blouses. The second bag contained bras, panties, and a few other items. I chose the tan jeans with a black loose sleeveless blouse that I did not have to tuck in my pants. I pulled out bras and panties with a pair of something that I had no clue how to identify.

I pulled this unidentifiable object out of the bag and held it up. "What the hell is this thing?" I asked with curiosity.

"Those are spanx; you will wear those under your clothes." Sally replied. I held them up looking at them wondering how the hell I was going to fit into this piece of clothing.

"What the fuck is a sphanx and how the hell am I supposed to wear it under my clothes, I won't even fit into them." Sally quickly pulled them out of my hand and gave me a frustrated sigh.

"You have never worn anything like this before I take it?" I shook my head no and watched him stretch this garment and he explained what they were. "These will fit you trust me, they have quite a bit of stretch and will give you a girly shape. Come on put them on."

I continued staring at the object and I was starting to get a little upset with Sally thinking he knew what would fit me. I know my body much better than he does. "Look Sally, I know what will and will not fit me and that thing will not fit me it will suffocate me." I told this 'know it all' rather loudly.

"Why the hell do you have to be so argumentative? For crying out loud, I know what I'm talking about. I am not new to this type of thing and I happen to know what I am doing." We were arguing back and forth when Vince and Zip stormed into the seating area.

"Now what the hell are you two fighting about, we leave you alone and you fight like cats and dogs. What is the problem?" Vince yelled at us while Zip stood with his arms crossed.

I took the garment and waved it in the air, "I am supposed to wear this object that is called a sphinx, it is half my size and I am trying to explain that it's too small for me." I threw the thing on the table; Sally explained what it was and how it would help with my disguise. Vince and Zip were laughing hysterically.

"Zip do you know what the fuck that thing is?" Vince asked laughing.

"I have no damn clue what so ever, all I know is I have never seen anything that resembles that contraption. What's it called a sphinx?" Zip replied laughing.

"Spanx, fucking spanx, not sphinx, not sphanx but SPANX you wear this under your clothes and it smooths out the lumps and gives a person a shape. Were you all born in another world?" Sally Sweet answered with agitation.

"How the hell are we supposed to know, we're men damn it. We don't wear that shit." Zip replied defensively looking at Vince, who was laughing his head off.

"Look, we don't need to know about this kind of crap, just do what Sally says and stop the arguing or one of us will stick around here to make sure you behave." Vince ordered and they walked out laughing and both of them said "the shit that women wear" as they shut the door.

Against, my better judgement I put on the spanx with help from Sally. I was surprised they actually fit, they were not constricting or suffocating at all, then I put on my pants and blouse and Sally waved me over to sit down again.

"OK, the final touch, your hair." Sally pulled out a long curly auburn wig and shook it. She put it on my head and began styling it. "My, my, my you look so different; it's a good look for you." Sally told me looking at me. He pulled out a full length mirror, "come on take a look."

I stood up and walked to the mirror, I was shocked at the reflection in front of me, and I turned various ways to look at myself. I hated to admit that Sally Sweet is pretty damn good at this disguise thing.

"Meet Rosa." Sally said excitedly.

To my surprise, Rosa was an attractive nicely shaped lady. I didn't even recognize myself. I have to admit, I looked pretty damn good and to my surprise the spanx did exactly what Sally said they would do. They were very comfortable to wear and would definitely be something I would buy for myself and wear.

"Sally, I have to admit you know your shit. I don't even recognize me and I know damn well Fabian won't either. Where would I buy these spanx from? I'd like to buy some for myself."

Sally smiled and stood with hands on hips, "No need to buy them, these clothes were bought for you for this case so they're yours to keep." Sally replied.

We walked out to the front of the bus to join the rest of the team. I was met with surprise and shock, and all eyes were on me. "Lady and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to Rosa." Sally announced to the room. Stephanie stood up and walked over to me.

"Yvonne, you look amazing, if I didn't know you were on the bus getting ready, I wouldn't recognize you." She stared at me grinning.

"Sally, you did a great job." Ranger commented.

Hal was watching the monitor to Thunder and pulled out his earphones, "Listen up everyone." And we heard chatter on the speakers. We heard Fabian talking to a woman.

"Thunder passed inspection early today. Things are well here. I need information on a woman, ask your contact to provide me with details on Mrs. Michelle Arrington. I need this quickly. I feel she may be a good option for this." The call ended and the room suddenly became very intense and everyone was on alert and concerned that Fabian was asking for information on Michelle Arrington.

"What the hell is he doing? Who the hell is he talking to?" Tank asked with anger.

"Guys, we knew he might check up on Michelle, that's why I had her bio created and all inquiries will go directly to Hector to send the appropriate details. Let's not panic at this stage." Stephanie informed the room.

"I don't like this development. Find out who he was talking to." Ranger ordered and Hal announced that Fabian was on the move in the direction towards the condo.

"Come on Babe, it's time to get you back home."

He stood up and took her hand, "what kind of date was this, I didn't even get the promised breakfast. I'm not going out with you again." She replied laughing.

Ranger slapped her on the ass and led her out of the bus to an awaiting black Porsche 918. Junior gave Ranger the key and they took off while Junior joined us on the bus. Hal put his earphones back in and Junior sat down at a work area announcing he was putting Ranger's car on speaker and we listened to the conversation.

"Babe, I'll walk you to your condo. I want him to see me dropping you off. I'll hang around for a bit before I leave." Ranger sounded strange.

"Honey, we knew he might check up on me, it will be fine, I will be fine. I have eyes and monitors on me at all times."

There was silence for a few minutes and Ranger spoke softly "Babe, I don't like it. He's teamed up with someone local. I need you to be careful understand?" We heard what sounded like a kiss.

"Honey I promise to be extra careful."

We saw on Junior's monitor Ranger arriving at the condo. He walked around to Stephanie's door and opened it helping her out of the car. I don't know how the both of them fit in that small thing but they did. They walked hand in hand to the door towards the elevator where Fabian was at the mail boxes.

"Hello Fabian, did you have a good day?" Stephanie asked and he smiled very lovingly at her.

"Michelle, yes the inspection went well, did you enjoy your morning with your friend?" He looked at Ranger and he was given a dark glare which didn't seem to faze Fabian at all. The three walked into the elevator and rode to their floor in silence. We could all see that Fabian was quite uncomfortable. We watched as they all went into their respective units with Ranger slamming the door.

"Puto bastardo" (fucking bastard) Fabian whispered under his breath as he walked into his unit kicking the door closed.

Hector is stationed in Stephanie's unit at all times, he will be living with her while we are working this case as well as monitoring Soir at all times. The rest of us were to be sleeping and basically living in the bus including Ranger which surprised me but then again, he is the type of man that will not ask his men to do something he wouldn't do himself.

Things were pretty quiet in Fabian's condo. So our attention was turned to Stephanie's unit. She was giving us the tour of the place; she wears a necklace that hides a camera. She walked towards the second bedroom where we saw a very serious Hector sitting at a desk fingers moving quickly over keyboards.

"Hec, did anything come through from someone checking on Michelle Arrington?" Hector shook his head no.

"When it does we need to find out who is requesting the information, we need to know who Soir has teamed up with, understood?" Ranger ordered.

"Yes boss, understood." Hector replied and went back to work.

"Babe, it's time to cut our date short." Ranger said reluctantly.

"Boss, Soir is coming to the door." Hector announced.

"I'll walk you out honey." Stephanie and Ranger walked to the door and the acting began.

"Marc, thank you for an enjoyable morning. I look ….. Oh hello Fabian, we meet again, is there something I can help you with?" Stephanie asked sweetly. Fabian was just about to answer when Ranger interrupted him.

"Michelle, I'll call you tomorrow and we can organize a day on my boat." He took her hands and kissed her softly on her cheek.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow Marc. Bye." She shut the door behind her leaving her and Fabian out in the hallway.

"Michelle, I came to call to see if you'd like to have lunch with me, if you do not have other commitments." He asked with impeccable manners.

"I would like that. I don't have anything planned. I am actually hungry; Marc was busy with business calls so our breakfast didn't turn out as planned. What time did you have in mind?" She asked him.

"We can leave now if you feel its okay." He replied.

"Sure, let me go freshen up a bit and I'll meet you downstairs." She quickly walked into her condo and shut the door not giving him any opportunity to follow her inside.

He was waiting in the lobby as she came out of the elevator with Woody and Cal standing guard. Woody and Cal's cover names were Rocky and Blaze. "Boys" Stephanie greeted her body guards.

"Ma'am" they replied in unison. "Fabian, these are my body guards; they shadow me at all times." She didn't give any option for him to discuss it.

We watched as they walked out to the parking lot. "Fabian, I will follow you in my car. I have things to do later this afternoon." Stephanie again didn't leave any room for him to discourage her and she walked directly to her car.

I was fascinated with her, she's playing quite the game with Fabian; he has most definitely met his match. She waited for Fabian and followed with Woody and Cal following behind. Fabian was driving a silver BMW 7 series. He has exquisite taste. Ranger was giving Stephanie instructions on what to do and not to do to ensure she remained safe. We heard him tell Woody and Cal to have eyes on Stephanie at all times.

Watching Ranger, I could see he was nervous. I've noticed that when he is nervous and slightly agitated he clenches his teeth and his facial muscles are visible. Stephanie was re-assuring her worried husband that she would be fine and there were plenty of eyes on her.

"Ranger, please, the more you worry the more distracted I'll become and it won't do anyone any good." I watched as he rubbed his head and face with his hand and sighed heavily.

"OK Babe, don't do anything crazy."

She laughed, "I love you honey, I will be a good girl."

They arrived at a local seafood restaurant, they parked their cars and Fabian walked over to Stephanie's car and opened the door and helped her out as he checked out her Mercedes.

"Your taste in cars is wonderful." Fabian remarked.

She keyed her car locked as they walked towards the restaurant with Woody and Cal behind. They were seated at a table and Fabian ordered a bottle of wine and they chatted about various things. He asked Stephanie about herself and she told him about her pending divorce from her husband Myles, explaining how controlling he is. She painted a very ugly picture of her soon to be ex-husband portraying an unhappy wife of a high profile, controlling husband. His face showed that he was feeling very sorry for her as she continued with her story of an unhappy marriage. He apologized to her that she is having to experience this much hurt from someone she loves.

Stephanie was doing what she does best, extracting information to win people over and Fabian was not excluded from this. She asked about his life, marriage, family etc. He did mention that he was married to his school girl love and she died from an overdose of drugs. Stephanie asked him about his restaurant/bar, what type of food, casual versus formal things like that. His English was rough and Stephanie went back and forth between English and Spanish.

"I didn't realize Stephanie spoke Spanish." I said to no one in particular.

It was Lester who answered, "Hector is listening and he is telling her the words to use, she's repeating what he's saying in her ear piece." I wasn't surprised they thought of this detail knowing it had to be a last minute addition to the plan.

"Her hesitation works perfectly it looks like she's thinking of the correct words to say waiting for Hector, Soir has no clue." Vince added.

We noticed Ranger was becoming increasingly frustrated. "Boss, relax its Bomber, she'll be fine." Tank told his boss trying to comfort him. Ranger didn't respond he sat with eyes glued to his monitor.

"It's because she's who she is that is worrying me, you know she's a magnet for disaster and crazies." Ranger answered.

It was silent for what felt like hours when it really was only about 10 minutes before Ranger spoke.

"Tank, I…." Tank interrupted "on it boss." Tank quickly called Hector informing him that Ranger would be staying at the condo.

One of the many things that I admire about this team is their ability to communicate with each other without speaking words. Ranger spoke two words and Tank knew exactly what was on his mind, it's as if they can read minds. Ranger picked up his bag and Tank gave Manny a nod who followed his boss off the bus.

Our attention was turned back to Stephanie and Fabian. Stephanie was very excited to see her friends from the band she would be performing with. "Anthony, Randy, how are you? Where's Michael? When did you arrive, did you bring your families?"

"Whoa, take it easy sweet girl, one question at a time. Our minds don't move as quickly as yours." Anthony replied as he hugged her.

"Please sit down and join us, Fabian can you bring over a few more chairs for my friends." Fabian is most certainly not used to having a female tell him what to do, he's usually the one who's in control but he complied and brought over the chairs as he was asked.

"Michelle, we arrived a little while ago, our bus is parked in the bus parking lot. Michael is in the rest room, kids are in school so they couldn't join us." The conversation consisted of Stephanie asking what appeared to be twin brothers about their wives and kids and how the band is doing and their tour schedule.

Two other men walked to the table, "Michelle, you are as beautiful as ever." Stephanie stood up and hugged a bald headed man.

"Michael, thank you, are you ever going to grow hair on your head?" They all laughed and Michael introduced her to the other band member.

"This is Jason, our current drummer, Jason meet our dear friend Michelle Arrington. She will be singing with us." Stephanie and Jason shook hands and Fabian sat looking like a little boy left out of playtime, he isn't used to being ignored.

"Guys, I'm sorry, this is my friend and new neighbor Fabian Soir. Fabian, my friends, Anthony, Randy, Michael and Jason, they are the band 'RED'. They are the main attraction at the battle of the bands event this week." They all shook hands and the server came to the table to take the drink orders for the band.

"Michelle, you sing with band?" Fabian asked with curiosity. Stephanie laughed and she began to explain.

"No, well sort of. I met these guys a long time ago, they live in Nashville. When they tour in the area they send me passes to their shows and invite me to join them on stage for a few songs." She answered blushing slightly.

"Ah, I am sure you have angelic voice." Fabian said.

"Hardly, I sing okay, but it's easy since they're a loud rock band and if I stand far enough away from the microphone you really can't hear me." Stephanie laughingly explained.

"Don't let her fool you, she has a good voice, she's always nervous at first but then fits right in." Added Anthony, all the while Stephanie was getting embarrassed. It was clear the band had been made aware of the case and situation because they played right along. Fabian was becoming more and more enamored with Stephanie, it was written all over his face.

"So Michelle, how is that husband of yours?" Michael asked.

"Well I guess he's okay, we're in the middle of a divorce that's why I'm here to get away from all the crap that is involved with a high profile divorce. Myles isn't too happy with me and was becoming very controlling and had someone following me. I now travel with body guards at all times to keep him and his hound dogs at bay."

"You can always tour with us, we'll be going to Europe that way you can really get away from it all" Randy told her as she smiled at him.

"Something to think about, ha-ha" Stephanie replied.

She finished explaining about her situation and the band members apologized for what she is experiencing. They are doing a great job playing along. The server came back with drinks and to take their lunch order, "guys I insist you have lunch with us, and we can talk about the shows and the set." Stephanie announced and again not giving Fabian any opportunity to disagree. I was enjoying watching this play out, Stephanie is in control and he's not used to this treatment. I was laughing at how she's acting with him.

"Hey Rosa, what's so funny?" Vince asked.

"I am enjoying how Stephanie is treating Soir, she is in full control and he doesn't know how to handle it." The men around me all replied, "That's our Bomber."

Tank stood up "Vince, Rosa you're on." Vince stood up and took my arm.

"Come on Rosa, we are putting your character into play, let's go to the restaurant." I followed Vince and we left the bus, got into the SUV and drove off.

When we arrived at the restaurant we were seated near Stephanie's table so we were able to hear and see everything that was happening. They talked about the upcoming concert, what songs they'd be performing and the all-important question, what Stephanie should wear. The guys all laughed and told her she was a typical girlie girl worried about what to wear.

Fabian was so busy trying to keep up with the conversation at his table and trying to fit in, he didn't even notice Vince and I when we walked in. They ate their food and they were sitting talking when Fabian excused himself to take a phone call. I heard Tank tell Hal to put the call thru so we could all hear through our ear pieces.

"Fabian speaking, what did you find out?" He asked the woman on the other end of the phone.

"Nothing much other than she's a rich bitch." Fabian ended the call walking back to the table.

"Michelle, if you're ready we can leave, I will take care of the check."

Stephanie took the check from him and pulled out her credit card. "Fabian, thank you for a nice lunch. I need to stay with the band to discuss the show." He kissed her hand and told her he would like to spend some more time with her. He suggested they have dinner and she told him she would like that. He left with Woody following him. Yeah, he has fallen for her no doubt about that.

After Hal announced Fabian was in his car, everyone relaxed. "Guys thank you so much for playing along, I take it you've filled Jason in on the situation?" Stephanie asked.

Michael replied for all the members. "Bomber, Jason is up to speed he knows what we know. It's hard not to call you Bomber though."

Stephanie blew a sigh of relief, "I know, please, it's very important that you call me Michelle, this case is too important for mistakes and I do hate putting you guys in the middle of all this." Stephanie replied.

They talked about the upcoming concert and set up another meeting. "Steph, so tell us how is your real husband doing?" Randy asked.

"Ranger is doing well. He is as perfect as ever and taking very good care of me." Anthony asked if there were plans for any kids. Stephanie laughed and said no, not yet but maybe someday.

Cal nodded at Stephanie and she acknowledged. "Well guys, I hate to cut our visit short but I need to get back, we have surveillance and monitoring to do on this guy. I'll see you soon." She stood up hugging everyone and walked towards the door with Woody and Cal behind her.

We were able to hear the conversation between the band members taking place at the table.

"She's a sweet lady, quite the looker too." Jason remarked to the band members. "She is and don't let her husband ever see you looking at her like that again. He'll beat you like you do the drums." Answered Michael and they laughed.

"He's a great guy though, strong, tough and has a team to match." Anthony informed Jason.

"What is this case all about?" Asked Jason.

"We only know what we told you, we don't need to know anything else. Stephanie and Ranger have become our very good friends so when they asked for help, we were not about to say no" Randy answered.

Vince and I sat for a short time and we got up from the table at the same time as the band and we all walked out to our own vehicles making our way back to our temporary home. When we arrived back in the parking lot, it was filled with buses, trucks, trailers and golf carts. I can now totally see how we will blend in.

We parked near our bus and knocked to have someone let us in. The entire team was on hand and were very intense, listening to a conversation between Fabian and someone else.

"Mi contacto con alguien en el interior no tenemos nada de qué preocuparse."

(My contact has someone on the inside; we have nothing to worry about) Fabian told the man on the other end.

"No me fío de este contacto de los suyos. ¿Cómo podemos estar seguros de que se puede confiar?"

(I don't trust this contact of yours. How can we be sure she is to be trusted?) Answered the unknown man.

"Mira Pablo, este es mi operación; Yo soy el jefe si no confías en mi manejo de esto, entonces usted puede caminar lejos."

(Look Pablo, this is my operation; I am the boss if you don't trust my handling of this then you can walk away) Fabian shouted at the other man.

"Tengo obligaciones financieras de esta operación."

(I have financial obligations in this operation) said the man on the other end of the conversation.

"Poco dinero de usted ha contribuido, recuerde que tengo la mayoría del dinero invesgted y no lo olvido. Asimismo, recuerda mi poder llega muy lejos,"

(Little money from you has been contributed, remember I have the majority of money invested and don't forget it. Also remember my power reaches very far) Fabian shouted again and grew angrier.

Fabian ended the phone call with this Pablo character and was pacing back and forth. He was very angry and poured himself a drink. He sat down on the couch and began watching TV. He was restless so after a few minutes he got up and walked out and knocked on Stephanie's door. Hal announced for us to turn our attention to his monitor.

"Hello Stephanie, my apologies to bother you and for late request but would you join me for dinner this evening?" Fabian asked Stephanie.

"Oh, Fabian, thank you but I have made plans for dinner. Can I have a rain check?" Stephanie answered.

"What is the rain check that you speak of?" He asked

"Sorry, it means can we have dinner another day?"

"Ah, I see. Yes, yes I will be honored to wait for another day to spend the evening with you." He replied.

"Is this guy for real, even with his broken English he's a schmoozer, I'm taking Beautiful out to dinner and dancing tonight. I'll show him how to schmooze a woman." Lester shouted out to the group.

"Don't schmooze too much Santos." Tank shouted as we all laughed.

Stephanie said goodbye and shut the door. Fabian was not thrilled that he was turned down.

He mumbled to himself. "Mierda, las mujeres no me rechazan, ¿Por qué es este hermoso ángel Michelle tan difícil de ganar."

(Shit, women do not turn me down, why is this beautiful angel Michelle so hard to win)

Fabian walked back to his unit like a love sick puppy and made a call.

"Ven en 1 hora." (Come in 1 hour) and went back to the couch and his Spanish Telenovela. Hal was watching Fabian's monitor very closely. While Manny was watching Stephanie's unit where Ranger, Stephanie and Hector were sitting strategizing.

"Holy son of a fucking gun, check out this piece of ass that's walking down the hall." Shouted Zip, all eyes were on the monitor. The usual whistling, rowdy calls and other remarks men make when a beautiful woman is nearby were mumbled. These guys weren't any different. This woman was attractive, well built with breasts that were clearly paid for. It appears she is a paid escort, that's what the guys surmised.

She knocked on the door and Fabian let her in, shutting the door he pushed the woman against the door and kissed her as he began taking off her shirt. We knew what was about to take place and I certainly didn't want to see it. Tank called Ranger and filled him in on what was going on telling him that Hector should take over and bus monitors would be off. Ranger agreed.

"Hal turn off the monitors, Hector has it under control. Ranger will call back and tell us when we can resume. I suggest you all take a rest and get yourselves something to eat, better yet go out for a run so you guys can get rid of the urges that no doubt are tightening your cargo's. That's an order." Tank shouted.

There was laughter from the group as they followed orders and left the bus, I stayed behind.

"Yvonne, there is food and drinks at the back of the bus, go back there and relax. Vince and Zip will be with me." Tank suggested.

I acknowledged his suggestion and made my way to the back of the bus. I took a coke from the refrigerator and chose to eat some fruit while I turned on the TV. I must have dozed off because I woke up to noise from the men who came in to get something to eat. They took sandwiches and fruit and headed back to their workstations. It was going to be a quiet night for me; I was stuck with Sally Sweet so I thought I'd make the best of it. We watched TV and chatted for a little while, there wasn't much going on the monitors

Fabian and his girl of the evening were apparently still enjoying themselves. The guys were given a few hours off. Tank didn't want them watching what was going on, Hector was taking on that role. The only thing that happened was voice mail messages for Fabian, nothing that pertained to the case so there wasn't really much to do. The only action was Lester arriving at the Stephanie's place to pick her up for their date. Fabian and his escort of the evening came out at the same time, Fabian looked Lester up and down as did his date then gave Stephanie a very dirty look.

"Michelle, my sweet nice to see you. I wish you a pleasant evening tonight." Fabian was the king of schmooze. They all made their way to the elevator and rode to the lobby in awkward silence to Tank and Cal waiting.

We spent days repeating the same routine, watching monitors, following Fabian and listening to phone calls. Stephanie was doing a great job playing with Fabian's emotions; it was pretty funny to watch him. She went out on dates with her many men, the guys were enjoying dating Stephanie, knowing this was the one and only time in their lives they'd be taking her out on a date. It was comical. Fabian grew to become agitated seeing her go out with the men.

The chatter that the guys had picked up was that everything was going down soon, the plan would finally play out in a few days, it was looking like Fabian would be mine to take back to Germany in one week. I was looking forward to that.

Fabian did finally have his opportunity to take Stephanie out to dinner and dancing. She is an excellent dancer; she is the entire package, great body, beautiful with a wonderful personality. She looked very sexy when they walked into the restaurant, Fabian was proud to have such a beautiful woman on his arm. She was teasing him with her flirting and dancing; he was getting very turned on. He tried to kiss her several times and she stopped him by saying she didn't dare take chances in case someone was following her.

It was the week for the 'Battle of the Bands' event and Stephanie and the band were busy rehearsing. It turns out that some of the local business owners were chosen to be contest judges and Fabian was a judge.

We arrived at the location of the contest and blended in with the crowd. We watched while the guys did what they do best, they were on guard and on high alert. Stephanie and the band finished up their rehearsal and walked off the stage. Stephanie walked to the judges table and was talking to Fabian, flirting then telling him she would see him later. He couldn't stop complimenting her on her voice and how angelic she sounded. The man had fallen for her hard, she was a challenge for him and his entire face lit up when he saw her and when she was up on stage singing he was mesmerized with her.

Suddenly there was confusion and turmoil coming in through my ear piece, Ranger was throwing out orders to the guys. Suddenly they were on high alert and all I heard was "fucking son of a bitch" and the guys were on the move. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on other than I was left alone.

"Silence." Ranger shouted as I listened.

"What the hell is she doing here? Do you know who that is?" Asked a man who was familiar to the guys but not to me.

"That fucking son of a bitch is the inside connection, damn it." Ranger barked.

"Who are you talking about?" Fabian asked the man.

"That woman you were just talking to, Stephanie, do you know who she is?" The new voice responded.

"Her name is Michelle and she is a friend of mine, what concern is it of yours?" Fabian answered.

"Like hell, her name is Stephanie, she's married to Ranger Manoso and if she's here then he and his men are not too far away. You've been compromised you fucking idiot, how could you let this happen?" The anger radiating through his voice was seismic.

"What are you talking about, nothing has been compromised you fool." Fabian replied with anger in his voice.

"Knowing Manoso, he's on to you and your operation. You assured me that nothing would go wrong to jeopardize me and my legit job." Said the angry man.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Fabian asked confused.

"You said that you had a private investigator following you, have you seen him here?" The man asked Fabian.

"It's a woman, I lost her in Germany." Fabian assured him.

"Fuck, that's why that bitch Schultz has been hanging around in Trenton, she's hooked up with Manoso and his guys to get you."

I was trying to figure out why that voice was so familiar but I just couldn't place it. I knew I'd heard that voice before and it was making me mad. Oh fuck, it finally hit me, that other voice is none other than fucking Joe Morelli, that damn cop is the inside contact. Shit. Now I understand why everyone is going crazy.

Stephanie has no clue that Morelli is here; she wasn't wearing her ear piece because of the ear pods that she needed rehearsing on stage. I left to find her; I walked around the crowd before finally spotting her. I ran towards her and I was just about to call out her name when a shot rang out and I fell to the ground. All I heard was a ringing in my ears.

I was in a lot of pain as I tried to open my eyes, I was finally awake. My leg was bleeding so apparently I had been shot. I looked up and saw Stephanie. Her hands were cuffed to chains hanging from the ceiling, just as I was. She was breathing but not awake, her head hanging loose face down. Damn it, this is a big mess. I can't alert anyone.

I looked around only to find we were in some sort of lower level room with cement floors and walls, it was a large room. There were weapons of various types. There were rifles, shot guns and hand guns. I could also see crates of several military type assault weapons. Small brown packages lined up against the wall and at the far end of the room were tables with little plastic packets containing white powder. Other packages had what looked like packets of crystal rocks and various colored pills. This was the delivery point and his packing and shipping area for the drug smuggling operation.

Stephanie was slowly waking up, I tried yanking on my chains to loosen them but it didn't work. She was very groggy but awake, I couldn't reach her.

"Yvonne, what the hell happened, where are we?" Stephanie asked whispering.

"I don't know where but I think we are in some sort of basement. I was shot and I woke up here with you, what did they do to you?"

"They drugged me with something. It was Morelli and his fucking whore Gilman, they're Soir's partners. Morelli is the inside connection, that bastard."

The door to the room flew open and slammed against the wall. Morelli, Soir and a woman walked in. I assumed the woman was the whore Gilman that Stephanie spoke of. As they walked in Morelli was sporting his typical arrogant bastard look. Gilman was smirking and looked like she wanted to kill Stephanie, obviously there's some sort of animosity between the two of them.

Fabian walked over to Stephane. He stood with his arms crossed and stared at her.

"Ah, my sweet Angel, how you played with my affections. I am not a man who likes being played for a fool." Fabian spoke softly and sweetly with his broken English, then he slapped her across the face as hard as he could which caused her lip to be cut and bleed.

"Mrs. Stephanie Manoso, you beautiful angel shall make a wonderful gift to the head of the drug cartel. I have heard many stories of your husband but not had the pleasure of meeting him. Oh to see the look on his face when I tell him that his angelic wife has been presented to the drug cartel. It will make me very happy. Ranger Manoso has caused much damage to my business in Colombia."

"Don't bet on it Soir." Stephanie spit out at him as she kicked him causing him to fall to his knees in pain. As groggy as she was she still managed to cause some damage defending herself.

"Soir, I told you to stay clear of her knees, they should be declared lethal weapons." Morelli said laughing hysterically. Gilman walked closer to Stephanie pointing her gun.

"Let me shoot her and get rid of her once and for all, you know this bitch is like a cat with 9 lives."

"Shut up Terri, where she's going there's no coming back. The cartel will have a field day with her. We'll throw in the other bitch as a bonus; she'll never be missed since she's not an American. People will chalk it up to her returning back to Germany" Morelli replied with a sadistic look on his face.

Morelli stroked Stephanie's neck and down her blouse with his finger.

"You won't get away with this asshole, they'll find me and you know it." Stephanie shouted in Morelli's face.

"Ah but Cupcake, look around you, this room is cement, none of the gadgets that your thug gives you will work here. He sure as hell keeps track of every move you make. I'm not as stupid as you think. I know how he works."

Morelli pulled out a bag with gadgets while he waved it in front of her face. I noticed she was still wearing her necklace that doubled as a hearing device, GPS and camera. The guys are watching everything and are aware of our location.

"Tell me cupcake, how does it feel knowing today begins the demise of your precious thug Ranger. I am going to enjoy seeing him slowly die inside and watch him suffer without you, knowing that you're the nice piece of ass for the Colombians will eventually kill him."

Stephanie spit in his face which surprised him and she lifted up her legs and kicked him in the stomach causing him to fall into Gilman. Her gun went off shooting herself in the foot, she started screaming, and poor Fabian was still rolled up in a ball on the floor soothing his man parts.

"You fucking bitch, you just don't give up do you?" Morelli growled and punched her in the face. He was just about to wrap his hands around Stephanie's neck when the door crashed open.

The room was suddenly filled with large, angry men in black. Ranger rushed to Morelli pulling him off Stephanie and threw him across the room; the cop hit the wall and fell to the floor. Tank quickly held him down with his foot at his neck. While Ranger was unlocking Stephanie's handcuffs, Manny and Lester had Fabian cuffed. Cal and Woody had Gilman.

"Bobby, get in here now." Ranger shouted and he held on to Stephanie as if she was his lifeline and was not about to let her go. Vince had released me from my cuffs and was working on my leg, while Stephanie was telling Bobby that she was drugged and Zip pulled up Stephanie's sleeve.

"Needle marks boss, I'm on it." Zip ran to the tables tossing things around. "Got it" he shouted and handed Bobby a needle and a small vial containing liquid.

Once Ranger was comfortable with Bobby taking care of Stephanie, he walked to Morelli pointing his gun in his chest. "Cop I ought to fucking kill you." Ranger kicked Tanks leg out of the way and picked up Morelli with one hand and pinned him up against the wall. Morelli then became a human punching bag. Ranger punched him over and over until Morelli slid down the wall and as if that wasn't enough, Ranger kicked him a couple times in the ribs before joining Stephanie and Bobby.

We heard several sirens while police officers and medical personnel flew into the room. Vince helped me out to an awaiting ambulance while the police escorted Soir, Morelli and Gilman out of the room.

Ranger carried Stephanie out to an awaiting ambulance and he and Bobby climbed in and off they went. Vince and Zip were in the ambulance with me and it was obvious they were angry. If I hadn't have been shot they would have been telling me off. I don't blame them for being upset. This entire operation didn't go as planned.

There was a lot of commotion in the emergency room, Soir, Morelli and Gilman were cuffed to bed rails, and I was being wheeled to the x-ray room. I had a few shattered bones in my leg and would be taken to the operating room to repair my injuries. After a few hours, I woke up in the recovery room. A short time later I was wheeled to a room. I was told I would be a guest of the hospital for a few days recovering. Worried about Stephanie I asked Zip if he knew anything but he just grunted no and walked out of the room. The nurse came into the room and gave me a small cup with pills and a glass of water. Ten minutes later I was getting very tired and soon sleep overtook me.

I woke up very tired and unaware of my surroundings. Looking around I saw Cal sitting in the chair by the window. "Hey, how do you feel?" He asked. I tried to answer but my throat was dry and Cal got up and poured water into a glass handing it to me. I drank the water and cleared my throat.

"My leg is in a lot of pain but other than that I feel okay. How's Stephanie?" I asked Cal with worry.

"She'll be fine. Luckily Zip found the vile so the doctors were able to counteract the drug. She's been throwing up quite a bit but that's a good thing. It will remove the drugs quicker from her system."

"I'm sorry this case turned out badly Cal, there was so much hard work put into this and it all fell apart." I told him.

"Yvonne, it did fall apart but in the end all the pieces fell into place. Soir is singing like a canary, the cop and that bitch Gilman are also in custody."

I listened as he explained they were able to apprehend Soir not only for the drug smuggling but his hand in arms trafficking. He also gave up information about his connections to the cartel in Columbia. I was also told that Fabian would remain in custody under the careful watch of the federal government and would not be going back to Germany with me. Cal was filling me in on other details and as he finished Ranger walked in the room. To say Ranger was upset is an understatement.

"Cal." Ranger snapped.

With that one word, Cal stood up. "I'll be outside Boss."

"Ms. Mueller, how do you feel?" Ranger asked.

"A little pain but I'm fine, how's Stephanie?"

He smiled slightly "Stephanie will pull through." He stood staring at me looking as if he was hesitating before he told me off.

"Ms. Mueller, you were under explicit instructions that you were not to go off on your own, were you not?"

I nodded my head yes.

"Why did you feel the need to run off half cocked when you should have headed to the bus to inform the team what was taking place? You compromised Stephanie and managed to get yourself shot." I listened as he spoke to me in a very harsh tone.

"Ranger, I….."

He quickly interrupted me. "Your actions could have put my men in danger, luckily we already figured out that the bastard cop and his whore were the inside connections that Soir was working with. Tank managed to get the name of the other man involved out of Soir and our guys were able to apprehend him."

I felt relieved at what Ranger had just explained. That's the most I've heard come out of Ranger in one sitting.

"Ranger, I'm sorry. You're correct. I shouldn't have run off putting Stephanie in jeopardy. I am thankful that she is safe and on her way to a quick recovery. When I saw I was left alone I panicked."

Cal stormed into the room, "Boss they need you in Stephanie's room now."

Ranger turned and ran out of the room. He was so fast if I had blinked I would have missed it.

"Cal what was that all about, she didn't take a turn for the worse did she?" I asked with concern.

"I don't know I'm going to her room now." Cal left as a nurse walked in to take my vitals. I told her the pain wasn't decreasing so she gave me another pain pill. I don't think the pills take care of the pain, all it does is make me fall asleep so I can't feel the pain. The drowsy feeling was upon me once again and I was dreaming.

I woke up to Vince sitting in the chair, "Hey Rosa, how do you feel?" He asked smiling.

"I guess okay" I answered.

"Are you up for taking a stroll and paying a visit?" I was asked and gladly said yes. Vince rang for the nurse who came in and I told her I needed help using the restroom because I was going to pay a friend a visit. The nurse helped me and brought out gown to use as a robe. She then brought the wheel chair and helped me get seated giving Vince the reigns to lead the way.

The waiting area was a sea of men in black. I was greeted by the guys and Ranger rolled Stephanie in her wheel chair to the waiting area.

"Yvonne, how do you feel?" Stephanie asked in her usual sweet manner. The woman amazes me.

"Stephanie I was so worried when Cal said that Ranger was needed in your room, are you really alright?" I asked concerned and I received a bright beautiful smile that only Stephanie can produce.

The men all gathered around the woman they call their sister and she received hugs and light kisses from her brothers. They all asked how she was and what the big emergency was. She sat looking around the room at the men who love her dearly. Stephanie gazed up at her husband they looked at each other adoringly.

"The emergency was a false alarm, it was good news." Ranger announced and the room filled with clapping. Ranger looked lovingly at his wife with a smile that I've not witnessed.

"Um well, the doctor told us that Ranger and I are going to have a baby. Before you plan ways you want to kill Morelli and Soir for drugging me, the baby is fine, thanks to Zip's quick thinking and finding the vial. The doctors were able to reverse the reaction before the drugs did any damage to the baby or me. You are all going to be Uncles to a new Manoso."

The room erupted in congratulations and clapping, while Stephanie received gentle hugs and kisses, her husband received slaps on the back. I was happy and blew out a huge sigh of relief, thanking God for the positive turn out. I would never have been able to live with myself if the drugs harmed the baby or Stephanie in any way.

Hector and Ella walked into the waiting room. Ella pushed her cart that held pizzas, sandwiches, drinks and a large cake that said 'Welcome Little Manoso.' I am amazed at how she always knows things like this. I now understand why Stephanie says "Ella is magic." Woody walked to the nurses' station inviting them to join us which they did. I don't care how full I was, being in a room full of gorgeous sexy hunks I'd eat one thousand times.

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 _ **A/N:**_ This is the final chapter of Yvonne's Story. I hope you enjoyed it.

Thank you readers for your comments and reviews, I appreciate it.

The mistakes are all mine, the Spanish translations was pulled from google translate, I can't verify the accuracy.

The obvious characters belong to JE, but the original characters and story line belongs to me.

Thank you _**Natalie Pyles**_ for your help and ideas during our phone calls, I appreciate it. You are one awesome Babe.

As always a huge THANK YOU to my partner in crime _**Susan Peters, my other awesome Babe,**_ for knocking out some great ideas during our lunch in Lexington. Thank you for your edit expertise and making my boring words pop to make it sound much much better.

The epilogue will follow shortly.


	7. Yvonne's Story

_Yvonne's Story_

 _Epilogue_

 _Eighteen months later_

 _ **YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY**_

I had just boarded my flight back to Germany and made myself comfortable for the trip back home. I was seated in First Class, all thanks to my friends in Trenton New Jersey. The flight attendant immediately offered me a variety of beverages and I gladly selected a glass of wine to help me relax before take-off. I began to think about everything that has taken place over the last eighteen months and all the challenges I had faced. Two months into the 'Fabian Soir' case that I was working on took me to Trenton, New Jersey to meet the Rangeman team whom I enlisted for assistance, a top notch security firm that specializes in apprehensions of high profile criminals.

Rangeman had most certainly done their homework they put together a well organized operation involving a variety of staff and equipment. Something I certainly would not have accomplished on my own.

During the case things fell apart and I was shot in the leg. Our covers had been compromised and I tried to warn Stephanie but only succeeded in both of us being taken by the bad guys. The injuries I sustained required surgery, physical therapy and weeks of recuperation. I was thankful Rangeman allowed me to stay in their building during this time; after all I was to blame for my injuries. I had been told explicitly to stay away from the active undercover site yet I tried to be a "hero" and warn Stephanie.

Once my eight weeks of mending was completed, I was finally able to leave Trenton and make the trip back to Germany. I traveled back alone due to the fact that Fabian was being held by the United States Federal Government. He had been charged with drug smuggling and the distribution of illegal firearms.

I returned to Trenton several months later to appear as a witness in federal court, I was to testify against Soir as well as Morelli and Gilman. At Fabian's trial, he sang like a bird. He told the courts every minute detail of his operation, his contacts in the U.S. as well as information about the Colombian drug cartel. He informed the Federal District Attorney of Morelli's involvement and that Morelli was the mastermind behind setting up the drug smuggling. He named the local gang bangers that Morelli had put in place to distribute and sell the drugs. Morelli and Terri Gilman were instrumental in organizing the distribution of the firearms deal and made all the necessary connections needed for obtaining and selling the weapons.

Soir informed the court and jury that Morelli was adamant about sending Stephanie as a gift to the Colombian drug cartel. It was cops idea to sell the weapons to the Colombians ensuring the highest dollar return on their investments.

The plan was perfected and had I not enlisted the help of Rangeman, I would never have been able to capture Soir; there were just too many participants in the operation for one person.

I was asked to explain my involvement, from the time I picked up the case in Europe, all details that I was aware of and any other information that might have been pertinent to the case. I had been subpoenaed to testify on several occasions and it was quite stressful, I have to admit.

Morelli's lawyers had tried to have the case moved to another jurisdiction due to his being a cop; they argued that he wouldn't receive a fair trial. The Judge stated that Trenton was the capital of New Jersey; therefore the case would be heard and tried in Trenton. The lawyers for the cop and Gilman were tough; they were doing everything in their power to paint an innocent picture of them both. They even tried to convince everyone that Morelli was working undercover but that didn't play very well.

The first day of court, Morelli looked absolutely horrible, very worn out and stressed. I no longer could see the handsome sexy former cop, he had aged drastically, and the smug arrogant bastard was long gone he seemed scared, not knowing what would happen to him in prison.

During Morelli and Gilman's trial I was asked to testify about my dealings with the two of them, what I knew, what I heard and what I witnessed. I had to testify in regards to what took place that day the operation fell apart. I was treated like I was on trial by Morelli and Gilman's lawyers which made me so angry that I shouted at the lawyers and was told to keep quiet by the judge.

Morelli tried to implicate Gilman and her mob connections in the operation and she became hysterical in court. She accused him of lying through his teeth. To get even she told the court everything, she was like a recording, and she didn't stop. She explained her involvement and admitted to wanting to kill Stephanie as well as being jealous that Joe had never really gotten over her. She turned against the man that she supposedly loved, it was quite comical. There was screaming and shouting between the two of them during the trial and at one point it looked as if they were about to kill each other. They had to be restrained by the court deputies. Ranger, Stephanie and the gang tried to curb their laughter but at one point lost their composure and were chastised by the Judge.

Morelli's trial was quite the event. The courtroom was packed with his family, Trenton PD personnel and probably every woman he had ever dated or slept with. His family was livid that he was being subjected to all this because no doubt everything was a lie and their Joseph would never be involved in anything like this. They all blamed it on Stephanie and Ranger.

I testified about my dealings with him while in Trenton, and while the operation was going down. I also had to recount the conversation I heard in my ear piece between Morelli and Soir when Stephanie's cover had been compromised. The things he said to her about becoming a piece of ass for the drug cartel and that he was going to enjoy seeing Ranger die not having her around. The reaction on the Jury's face was pretty evident that they were disgusted with Morelli's role in this operation and the disappointment in him since he had been a trusted police detective. Morelli was usually a smug bastard and the more people implicated him the angrier he became.

Stephanie, Ranger and the entire Rangeman team were all on hand and were called to testify about their involvement and what duties each of the men were responsible for. It was to the prosecutors advantage that Rangeman could provide both video and audio evidence to support all our testimonies and the government's charges. The defense lawyers insisted on having Stephanie's friends from the band appear in court to testify but the District Attorney informed the Judge of their minimal involvement and explained they were on tour in Europe. The Judge agreed to allow the band members to testify via video conference.

Stephanie was very pregnant during the trials and it was apparent that Fabian still had feelings for her. You could see it all over his face when the photos were printed in the newspapers. The media coverage was intense covering both trials.

The jury for Soir's trial took two days to deliberate before coming back with a guilty verdict and he was sentenced to fifty years in a Federal Prison in Florence, Colorado. Of course that was all a formality because as soon as the jury announced their findings he was whisked away by the Federal Marshals and would be in witness protection for his cooperation. He would be given a new identity and moved to an undisclosed location, the conditions of his testimony were that he was to be monitored at all times, he was to have a microchip implanted and to be on his best behavior or else he would be released to the Colombians. Fabian couldn't agree fast enough knowing full well that the Drug Cartel reaches far and wide and they would find him in a heartbeat.

He would also be taught to speak fluent English with a southern accent; I would love to have heard that. Ranger explained that Soir would be given a new face that even Fabian's mother would not be able to recognize him.

The Jury took one day to deliberate in the Gilman case and also came back with a guilty verdict. She was sentenced to fifteen years at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township, New Jersey.

The jury took three days to deliberate on Morelli's case. When they finally appeared, they all had blank looks on their faces so we had no idea what to expect. The foreman announced their findings and read a long list of charges. They found him guilty of all charges brought against him. Morelli was sentenced to fifty years with no possibility of parole and to serve the years in the United States Penitentiary in Allenwood, Pennsylvania. Apparently this facility is a high-security U.S. Federal Prison. When the verdict was announced, Morelli was shell shocked and had no reaction on his face. His family was hysterical and of course his lawyer was already announcing his intentions to appeal and he was escorted by the deputies and processed.

Stephanie had asked the District Attorney if she could visit with Morelli and Soir; reluctantly he agreed. She visited with them at separate times before they were transferred to their new homes. She told me that she gave Morelli an ear full about his turning his back on his job and all those who loved him and that he had hurt his family tremendously. He responded by saying it was none of her business and to go have that thug spawned baby. She told me that Soir was very apologetic at how he treated her and that she was indeed a special woman. She wished him well in his future in witness protection.

I found out from Zip that Cal was dating an old friend that Stephanie had gone to school with. I saw him throughout our court appearances but that was it. I never saw him outside the events pertaining to the case. I had dinner a couple of times with Ranger, Stephanie, Tank, Lester and Bobby, the core team as Ranger calls them. Stephanie and I enjoyed dinner alone a few times with Vince and Zip as our drivers. Ranger did not want her driving in her advanced stage of pregnancy. If he was over protective before, he was even more so now that his wife was expecting their first child.

I finally had the opportunity to meet her crazy Grandma Mazur and let me just say that the stories I heard about her feistiness was an understatement to what I experienced. She is one heck of a character.

Ranger and Stephanie are now the proud parents of twin girls, Lily Monet and Alyssa Faith Manoso. Both strikingly beautiful girls who have their father's complexion and dark black unruly, curly hair like their mother's and her striking blue eyes. Let me state for the record, those girls will be heart breakers. The Rangeman guys were very ecstatic over their new nieces. It's funny to see big burly men turn to mush when they see the two precious babies.

I was escorted to the airport in style by Ranger, Stephanie and Tank with Vince and Zip on guard. As they walked me to my gate eyes were on us all. I am sure people were wondering what the entourage was all about. I was taken through security without any issues; Tank took care of that process. I was amazed at the respect that people have for Rangeman.

We arrived at my gate and checked in. Tank then took us to the Admirals Club that was reserved for members and First Class passengers. We enjoyed a pleasant conversation over snacks and drinks while we waited for my flight to be announced. A handsome man walked up to our table and informed us that it was time to head towards my gate. We were escorted to my gate and I stopped and thanked my hosts for their generosity, hospitality and most importantly for their assistance in the capture of Fabian Soir

Before I boarded the plane for my trip back home, I had to stop and ask the question that has been burning in my mind for some time now.

"Ranger, I have a question if I may ask?" I asked him with apprehension.

"If it's a question that I'm able to answer, feel free to ask." He replied with a curious look on his face.

"During all the staff meetings, you are always seated at the head of the table, with Tank on your right and Stephanie on your left. Can I ask why that is?" I was a little nervous as to what answer or reaction to expect. Stephanie and Tank both looked at Ranger as we waited for an answer.

"Simple answer Ms. Mueller." Was the response and after a few minutes of silence he finally explained.

"Tank is my right hand man and I want Stephanie always close to my heart." What a simple but poetic answer. With that I walked up the jet-way and turned waving goodbye to a team who was most instrumental in preparing for my future.

Returning to Germany without Fabian Soir was not a part of my original plan. I didn't go home with him but I did however have a hefty check, which was fine with me because the payment was processed much faster than it would have been had I taken him back to Germany and waited for Interpol to settle matters. After Rangeman deducted their cut plus expenses, I was happy to go home with $1.2 million; there were no complaints from me.

As I exited the plane in Germany, all I could think of was that today was the beginning of my future and I was looking forward to what was in store.

 _ **YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY**_

 _ **A/N:**_ _CASE CLOSED_

 _Thank you_ _ **Susan Peters**_ _for your awesome editing, you sure know how to make the story pop. Thanks for fixing all the booboos._

 _As always, thanks to JE for allowing me to play with her characters. The story and original characters are mine along with mistakes._


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